A Cursed Gift
by Treble4Life
Summary: A forensic anthropologist is gifted in many ways, especially with the supernatural, however, her life completely changes when her path crosses with non other than the Ghost Adventures Crew. *Disclaimer: I DO NOT own Ghost Adventures, I do own Dria. I've tried to get the facts as straight as possible with the GAC, & Dria is a lot like myself*
1. Chapter 1

Chapter 1: How it Began

Five years ago, the Ghost Adventures Crew Investigated the Ohio State Reformatory in Mansfield, Ohio for the second time. The significance of this investigation was that the crew added a new member to the team: a young Forensic Anthropologist, who is gifted beyond any one person's reasoning and understanding, including her own. Now, she not only added her experience of working with the dead every day, but also gave insight of those beyond the grave with a Godly perspective. Her name is Alexandria Flora Kovach.

Alexandria never really understood how she could see and communicate with the dead when it was extremely rare for another person to have that sight. She did ask a pastor once from her church for help, to find out more information on why she had this supposed gift. However, the pastor took it completely the wrong way, thinking she was influenced by the devil himself. Ever since, Dria has not shared her ability to anyone (excluding her best friend), because of having fear of people judging and ridiculing her for being different. So, she keeps to herself and waits patiently for God to send her an answer as to what kind of plan He has. Little does she know, her patience will pay off due to an unexpected investigation that will bring her more understanding of her gift and an open heart, once again, to the greatest gift in the world.

Dria was always fascinated with deserted prisons, just because she loved the history behind the building… and its residents. While staying in Cleveland, OH visiting family for Thanksgiving, she decided to take a road trip to Mansfield, so she could see with her own eyes the infamous Ohio State Reformatory. Dria became really disappointed to find out that the tours were booked solid for the next few months, and she was only able to stay in Mansfield for a night. She didn't know why, but she just had to get into that facility to check things out; it was like the place was calling her, in some weird way, asking for her help. Luckily, with military and law enforcement in her blood, she knew perfectly well how to pick a standard lock; so she would be able to get in, after hours.

When it came for the time to close for the night, Dria waited patiently outside the reformatory for the staff to finish closing up. She didn't mind waiting outside considering she loved the rain, with the smell of water hitting the dirt road and beautiful melodies were made while hitting the ground. Plus, the weather gave her a reason to wear her comfy hoodie and uggs, which she doesn't get to wear much back home. Looking around after the staff left, Dria picked the lock to the gate and saw a window cracked open on a level above the main door. _Now, I just have to find a way to get up there. Maybe if I could put my flexibility to good use, using the stones as some sort of step…_

"What do you think you're doing?" a deep voice asked from behind her.

_Oh great_, she thought_, _my supervisor will not like this. Dria stopped what she was doing, gently climbed down the few stones she was on, and turned around to see who caught her.

A bald, tall man with a beard stood in front of her. Dria was only a woman's average height, but this guy was easily six feet. "Do we need to call the cops?"

"No, sir," she pleaded, "please don't call the authorities. I'll be on suspension if you do." She saw behind him a black van with three other men and… cameras? _Why do these guys have cameras? Wait until I get them in trouble._

"Why are you trying to break in anyway?"

"This is going to sound crazy, but I have a fascination with abandoned prisons. I couldn't get a ticket to go on a tour because they were full, and I'm only in town for the night. So, I tried using my 'mad skills' to get in on my own." Dria laughed out of nerves, and tried making a joke by using her fingers to indicate quotes when she said the words: mad skills.

The bald man just stood there staring at her with laser beams shooting into her soul. About a minute went by with them staring at each other; Dria had the deer in the headlights look… until…

"Bwa-ha-ha!" the bald man laughed. "I totally got you there, didn't I?"

Dria looked at the man in shock. _Why is this guy laughing?_ "Uh, yeah, ha-ha, you totally did."

The bald man loosened up a little and stuck out his hand, "Forgive me," he said, "I'm Aaron Goodwin."

"Dria Kovach," she replied while shaking his hand.

"Now that's a name you don't hear every day."

"Short for Alexandria… last name is of Hungarian decent on my mom's side."

"Good deal. I apologize for worrying you. We're scheduled for a lockdown in this reformatory tonight and we can't have people breaking in, if you know what I mean."

"Yeah, I understand. I'm sorry, I just want to see what's inside, you know? I am visiting family up in Cleveland and thought I could check the place out. Oh well, guess I'll have to wait until next time I visit." Dria had a sad look on her face.

Aaron broke the silence and wanted to see why she was so interested in this one place. "Why do you like old prisons so much? You have a thing for criminals or something?"

A tiny smile formed with Dria's mouth. "I guess you could say that. I work with criminalists back home in the police department, and I am a nerd when it comes to criminalist history."

"Criminalists, huh? So, are you some kind of CSI or something? Like the show on TV?"

"In terms of how most people understand it better, yes. However, don't be fooled by the show. The real thing is more difficult drawing conclusions, meaning it takes more time, especially DNA results. I'm more like the evidence collector and I get called when a body is unrecognizable, like a burn victim or when they're completely skeletonized."

"Duuddee! That's cool, I think… I'm not much of a fan of dead bodies." Aaron laughed. "Spirits, yes, flesh and decomposing things, yeah, not so much."

Dria smiled, "Not everyone is. Skeletons and mummies have always fascinated me as a child. People think I'm nuts, but hey, I love what I do." She stood there for a moment. "Well, I guess I better get going. I don't want to waste any of your time for your lockdown. It was nice meeting you Aaron," she said as she started walking past Aaron and around the van. "Good luck." Dria noticed the other three guys watch her walk away as Aaron suddenly had an idea.

"Wait!" Aaron called to her as she was just about to reach the gate. "Dria, don't go just yet! Stay right there!"

Dria did as he requested, and waited for Aaron to say something else. She saw Aaron walk up to the other three guys. Two of the three seemed to be nodding their heads to something Aaron said. The third was shaking his head with temperament. _Wait,_ she thought, _why are they raising their hands? Are they voting on something? Apparently they are, considering that one guy was now frustrated that the rest of the group had opposite votes from him. Ha-ha, sucks for you dude._

"Hey, Dria," called Aaron, "come here and meet the guys."

_Ok, this is weird. They better not ask me to do something dumb. Although, oddly, they do look familiar, I just can't put my finger on where I've seen them before._ Dria walked over to where Aaron was by the van and got a closer look of the group: there was a short average man with a mohawk, a taller and thin man with a goatee, and the last man had black spiked hair with an iron cross belt holding up black baggy pants.

"Alright," started Aaron, "let me introduce you to the group. We've got Billy Tolley, our EVP analyst." The man with the mohawk smiled and waved. "Nick Groff…"

The man with the goatee came up and shook Dria's hand, "Nice to meet you. Wow, you've got a pretty strong grip for a woman."

"Likewise," Dria commented, "and it runs in the family... military back ground."

"Awesome," Nick and Billy nodded.

"And," Aaron continued, "the pretty boy with the dirty look on his face is Zak Bagans." The man with the iron cross leaned against the van with his arms crossed, staring out into space.

_Well, he could at least be a gentleman and say hi or wave or something. Wonder what crawled up his ass and died._ Dria snorted at the thought.

"He's had a bad day so far…" Aaron whispered, "well, actually a bad week. He blames women… crazy fans… dates who freak out over his obsession of the paranormal and vampires. Let's just say he was hoping this investigation would get him away from women… except those we interview of course. Anyways," Aaron spoke at normal volume, "we are paranormal investigators known as the Ghost Adventures Crew. You've probably heard of us?"

"Oh yeah! I thought I recognized you guys! You're on the Travel Channel, right? I watch your show every now and then, when I have free time… which isn't very often, ha-ha. When I do watch it, you guys make me fall out of my chair with laughter!"

"Well," smiled Nick, "we do like making people laugh. We also had a vote, three-to-one," everyone looked to Zak, and then looked back to Dria, "and we were wondering if you'd like to join us on our lockdown."

"Seriously?" Dria asked. They all nodded… except Zak. "Of course!" she squealed and jumped for joy. "That would be awesome! Thank you!" Zak just rolled his eyes, _Great, just what we need, a squealing fan joining the lockdown._

"Come on, Zak," taunted Billy, "you could at least be a good guy and say hi. Plus, think of what evidence we can get using her as a trigger object. Just like last time, we'll have more interaction with the spirits because she's a woman AND she works with the police department."

Zak looked at Billy with the expression of, "_Fine, I guess you have a point."_ Then, he took a deep breath, walked over to Dria, and looked at her in the eyes with an outstretched hand, "Hi."

"Hi," _Wow, he does have nice eyes. Too bad his personality doesn't match his 'outer beauty.' Makes me think of the song, Pretty on the Outside by Bullet for my Valentine._ Dria shook his hand with a gentle smile. "Now that wasn't too hard, was it?" As soon as her skin touched his, she immediately felt chills run up and down her spine. _Man this guy's hand is friggin' ice cold! Seriously, the lifeless I work with are lower in temperature, and they're dead for crying out loud!_

Zak's eyebrows and forehead formed a scrunched "V" as if reacting to the look on Dria's face when shaking hands. _Why does she look scared? _Zak thought. _My hands aren't that bad, I mean they can't be that rough. I guess they are, compared to her hands being soft and smooth, yet strong like nick pointed out earlier._

"Uh, Zak?" Dria asked.

The question brought Zak's focus back, "Yeah?"

"Could you let my hand go now? I can't feel any blood pumping."

Zak looked down at their hands, "Oh! Sorry," he then immediately let go. _Wait, was she insinuating that I have too hard of a grasp or something? Whatever, I need to focus on the lockdown._ "Aaron, could you show her our x-camera locations?" Aaron gave two thumbs up while grabbing a few of the cameras. "Dria, you can help Aaron set them up. Considering you've never been on a real lockdown before, you could probably just carry the equipment. I don't want to take the chance of anything getting damaged."

"Excuse me?" Dria stood back appallingly. "I'm assuming you believe that since I'm female, I can't be trusted with your equipment?"

_Wow,_ Aaron thought, _this chick isn't taking any crap from Zak, which is a first. I like her already._

"No, I never said that," came back Zak. "I just figured you were some big fan that in reality has no idea how to properly set up expensive equipment."

"I've got news for you, pretty boy," Dria spat while making Aaron laugh, "I'm not as big of a fan as you assume, I just like the show. Also, when it comes to expensive equipment, try taking pictures and measuring a full-on homicide out in the pouring rain, at night, with only a teeny little night vision camera, duct tape, measuring tape, paper bags, and a sharpie, yet still manage to collect everything that was needed. With, perfect shots, I might add." Aaron's eyes widened and looked to Zak with an expression of _Whoa dude_. "You don't know anything about me, Zachary, so quit assuming you do." Dria's face turned red with anger while grabbing a camera and map from Aaron before walking into the Reformatory.

"You totally got burned, bro," laughed Aaron. Nick and Billy were smiling and coughing, trying not to laugh at Aaron's remark.

Zak was way beyond confused, turning to the guys, "What was that about?"

"Bro, you're a jerk and an idiot," Aaron smirked.

"How exactly am I the jerk? And I am NOT an idiot."  
>"She works with the police department," inputted Billy.<p>

"So, your point being?" Zak asked.

"Dude, didn't you pay attention to what she was talking about with Aaron? She works with cameras everyday to collect evidence for homicides," sighed Nick. "The department's cameras are more expensive than ours, so imagine what would happen to her if she wasn't careful with that kind of property."

"Oh… well, she shouldn't have flipped out the way she did."

"Not all girls are going to fall head over heels for you, dude. Dria seems to be one of the very few girls who don't get flabbergasted over the ever-so-famous Zak Bagans."

"Whatever," Zak rolled his eyes.

"I guess there really is a first for everything," smiled Nick.  
>"Happens to the best of us, bro, you more so," recounted Aaron. Zak punched him in the arm. "Ow, come on, bro, I was just messing. Besides, it seems to me Dria doesn't really like you much, which is kind of refreshing." Aaron took a deep breath, "Anyways, I'm going to set up a camera at the stairway by the hole." Aaron grabbed the gear to set up the other static cameras and followed Dria into the reformatory.<p>

"Dude," started Nick, "why are you acting like a dick to her? She seems to be smart, is seriously beautiful, and is not afraid to stand up to bull shit. I mean, you're usually prince charming. You need to apologize to her, before meeting up with Aaron at the hole. There's no point in doing this investigation if there is going to be tension."

"Fine," Zak snorted. "I'll set up a few cameras before finding her to apologize." _Why should I apologize? She's the one who stormed away like a kid with a temper tantrum… ugh, women._

Meanwhile, at Cell Block 13: _Wow, Zak is such a butthead, literally. I mean does he really think that I'm just going to roll over like a dog and do whatever he tells me to do? First off, he is NOT the boss of me. I only answer to one for my life decisions: He is known as the Creator of this world. Anyway, he's one of the most egotistical guys I've met. He must think he can get whatever he wants with his looks and fame. Whatever, I've got more of a brain than his two put together. Just sucks because I'm the kind of person who believes that God has things happen to you for a reason. So, what is the reason for meeting the GAC?_ Dria shrugged to herself, and set up the static night vision camera perpendicular to the cell of the man who burned himself alive. She turned it on, pressed record, took a deep breath and walked into the cell.

"Alright inmate," started Dria, "I am the new prison psychiatrist. I'm here to help you. I am sorry with what happened to you and how you resulted to taking your own life." Dria felt an ice cold breeze come into the cell, as if someone just walked in.  
><em>"No one can help me…"<em> Dria heard a dark whisper come from behind her. She turned around and saw in full apparition, a man in grey prison wear, white in appearance. Dria did not scream, only sympathized with the distraught spirit.

"I can sure try," she told the spirit.

"_Why?"_ it asked with a stern brow.

"No one else has, and I don't give up that easily." It floated there, staring at her. "Why did you burn yourself to death?"

"_Being here can drive you crazy, make you feel trapped in life, so there was no other way to be free…"_ it said. It slowly moved closer to Dria, waiting for her to scream and run away, which she did not. _"Why are you not afraid?"_

"Let's just say I have been able to help others like you my entire life. I have no reason to be afraid."

"_Well you should be!" _it quickly moved to be directly in her face blowing her hair back from the breeze. Dria still didn't budge. _"Hmm… you're somehow different than the others… but you should still be afraid of _him_ at least…"_

"Thank-you… who's him?"

"_Stay out of what we call 'The Hole.' It is _his_ domain."_

"I can't promise that, however, I can promise to pass on any message or complete a task to help set you free. That is why you're still here, isn't it?"

"_How did you know?"_

"I have friends in spiritual places, and most of the time spirits are here because of some kind of unfinished business."

"_Ok… tell my family that my will and small fortune is hidden in my favorite thinking place, they'll know what you mean… and tell Fly… I have accomplished what he thought I couldn't, to be truly free."_

"I will definitely do that, I promise."

"_Some advice… stay away from the hole… _he_ wants you… and lastly… please protect your heart."_

"What?" Dria asked as the spirit faded away. "No, wait! Who the hell is this he!? Why must I…" Next thing she knew, the spirit was gone, forever. "Gah!" _Well_, _at least I helped him a little of being free beyond this world. I better head back to the guys._ Little did she know, the camera caught the conversation between her and the spirit, however, the camera had no image, only audio.

"Dudes! Dria! Get to the stairway by the hole quick!" shouted Aaron from the ground floor.

"We're coming Aaron!" yelled Nick from the entrance.

"I'm coming down from Cell 13!" screamed Dria from the 3rd level of the cells.

Dria was hoping that nothing bad had happened to Aaron. _Please don't let it be a demon, I hate dealing with demons._ She was running down the stairs on the other side of the main high ceiling hallway of the cells, until she got to the bottom step on the ground floor, then everything went black.

After a few minutes, Dria was gaining consciousness. _Great, I ran into something, something heavy and… squishy. Please don't let it be a corpse of a random person who was murdered and hidden in this prison. I hate finding random bodies, especially landing on them when I don't know their condition of decomposition. Although I smell something sweeter than death… is that cologne? Maybe Axe body spray?_

"Alexandria?" a deep and breathless voice mumbled above her, as though something in midair suddenly had words and radiated heat.

_Crap, someone landed on me, didn't they? I just really hope it isn't…_ "Zak?" Dria asked. The figure on top of her slowly shifted to look her in the eye, showing hazel eyes from the shining light of the handheld camera that was on the ground next to them.

"You know, if you wanted some alone bonding time, you could have just asked." Zak breathed while looking down on her. As the nerves in her body started to work again, she could feel the vibration of his voice as he spoke. _Damn! Why does his breath smell good too? The fan sites are correct, however… he is better looking in person._

Realizing he was basically on top of her, she snapped back into the real world. "Ugh! Get off of me, you tool!" Dria exclaimed as she shoved him off with her arms, then rolled away to stand back on her feet. "And what the hell are you doing!? Why did ya run into me!?"

"Whoa, there's no need to get your panties in a bunch," Zak frowned. "I came to well…" he said as he was standing up in front of her, "I wanted to... apologize for my behavior earlier."

"Wow, Mr. Zak Bagans is actually apologizing? Can I get some evidence, please? Like a form signed in blood and a video recording?" Dria asked with her arms crossed.

"What is your problem!?" Zak asked annoyed. "I apologize for my attitude, and yet you still attack me! What gives!?" Zak was trying to be a gentleman and apologize for his words, but it seemed no matter what he did, Dria just did not like him.

"Apologies are just words, unless you mean it... and I don't think you mean it considering I bet you didn't come up with it yourself." _I even bet that Nick and Aaron put him up to it_. "Plus, you completely ran into me, probably giving me a concussion. You just don't think."

"Well, I'm sorry for not being perfect."

"No one is perfect, Zak. Everyone falls short, including me." Zak rolled his eyes at this, _Obviously, she has pretty high standards for anyone to meet._ "I just don't like how you assume that I'm the same as all the other women/girls you encounter. Unlike them, I actually have a brain that I'm not afraid to use." Dria took a deep breath, "Look, let's just find Nick and Aaron and get through the lockdown. Then I promise I'll leave and you'll never have to see me again." Dria turned to walk away, towards where she believed Aaron to be, and Zak followed, thinking: _This is going to be one long night._

Meanwhile, Aaron was scared shitless because of what he saw, barely being able to breathe. Aaron was sitting on the ground, holding his head between his hands, on his knees. Luckily, Nick showed up, so he could calm down a little bit.

"Aaron!" Nick shouted as he saw his friend in despair. He knelt down to the ground beside Aaron, with a hand on the shoulder. "What happened? Are you ok?"

"Dude, I was setting up the camera by the stairs, and I look up from the ground to see a dark shadow figure with red eyes… then next thing I know, I'm being shoved into the wall! Luckily I didn't face plant, but it felt like a full shove; and you know how I am not a big pushover."

Nick nodded, "Except when it comes to being kind to people."

"Seriously bro, it's not that funny. Especially since I heard a creepy voice on the camera audio."

"What exactly did it say?"

"In reference to what just happened, I heard the voice say … GET OUT... Next thing I knew, I almost broke my nose face planting into the wall."

Dria and Zak appear from the doorway by the stairs. "What happened?" Dria asked as she got down to her knees to look at Aaron in the face. He was still shaking from the occurrence.

"Aaron was coming back down the stairs, when he suddenly was shoved into the wall," Nick answered. "It's amazing he didn't trip break his nose or something."

Dria put Aaron's face in her hands, "Aaron, look at me." He did as he asked, with major fear in his eyes. "It's going to be ok, I promise. Just keep moving forward. These things sometimes happen, but we can't let the unseen get the best of us, right?" Aaron slowly nodded. "Alright then." Dria put both of her hands on Aaron's shoulders. "Here are a few verses that have usually helped me when I'm frightened: Deuteronomy 31:6 and Psalms 23:4."

"Be strong and courageous. Do not be afraid or terrified because of them, for the Lord your God, goes with you; He will never leave you nor forsake you."

"Yea, though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil: for thou art with me; thy rod and thy staff they comfort me."

Aaron had recited the verses with Dria, who only smiled at his response. "How do you feel now, Aaron?"

"I definitely feel better," answered Aaron. Zak and Nick, on the other hand, were kind of shocked, to say the least. _Aaron actually knew those verses?_ thought Zak.

"Aaron," Zak began, "how did you know those verses? I never knew you were religious."

"I grew up Catholic, dude," Aaron answered.

"Dria," Zak turned to her as she stood up, "how did you know Aaron knew those verses?"

"Honestly, I didn't." The group started walking back towards the main hall, where they had their nerve center. Nick and Aaron were ahead, while Dria and Zak walked side by side some distance behind. "I only guessed because I knew from the show that Aaron is Catholic; or at least grew up Catholic. My mother was raised with the Catholicism side of Christian beliefs, but became a Baptist believer after she married my dad. She taught me the differences and similarities of Catholic and Baptist, and there are more similarities than most people would think. Those verses are usually the first to pop into your head when you learn fear as a child. There are many verses about fear in the bible, however, those verses have always stuck with me and work when I need the inspiration. Plus, I could feel in my heart that Aaron still knew. I mean, there are certain bible verses that people learn as a kid and never forget. I personally... " Dria stopped and looked to Zak after they reached the nerve center. He was just plainly staring at her, with his hands in his pockets, making her feel uncomfortable. Dria quickly looked away, "I'm sorry. I'm boring you. I tend to ramble when the subject is on something I'm passionate about." Zak still stared at her, Dria thought with annoyance, but he was actually intrigued. "I'm just going to walk away now," commented Dria, while blushing. _What the hell is wrong with me? _She thought to herself. Zak watched her walk towards Aaron and wrap her arm around him for a hug while watching the set up cameras on the table. _She is definitely one weirdo woman, but maybe that's why Aaron clicks with her so well._

As a group, they decided to all go together to the most haunted places of the reformatory. For the first two hours, they went to the hole, where prisoners were kept in solitude for bad behavior… and where witnesses were said to be scratched, pushed, and yelled at. This only excited Zak more, considering he loves dealing with a "spirit" who takes its anger out on people. Dria right away could feel a bad presence, and knew she needed to get back down here away from the guys. Sadly, that will have to wait until hours later when everyone splits off to do some of their own investigation.

"That's right, you evil son-of-a-b****," taunted Zak while they were in the hole. "We're back! This time, we plan to get rid of you, for good! You have been worst to people, pushing them and knocking them out. Well, I hate bullies. Why don't you pick on someone your own size!? Come at me, you evil bastard!"

The anger in Zak's voice rang through the confined space of solid confinement. Within seconds, there was a loud bang on a nearby cell door and a growling whisper. "Did you guys hear that?" asked Zak, looking around to the others. He looked at Dria the longest to see if she had a terrified reaction, but she just stood there with her hands in her pockets, as calm as the steady ocean. Zak had a puzzled look, "How are you so calm, Dria?" Aaron was pale white from freight, and none of them even knew what the entity said. Nick was just as shocked as Zak, usually when they have guests, they freak out, especially women.

"I've dealt with worse," commented Dria. She didn't want to tell them the real reason why she was so calm compared to _professional ghost hunters_. She also knew exactly what the dark entity said without a digital recorder:

"_**I want the girl… not you… *short laughter*… you will die without her…"**_

Dria did want to freak out from hearing that, considering she very well knew what this entity was. The guys looked at Dria confused, to them, her claiming that she's dealt with worse made no sense. "What? You guys don't believe me?" Another deep growl vibrated through the hole, only it came from right behind Dria… she still didn't flinch, just closed her eyes. _Shit,_ she thought to herself, _I recognize the growl anywhere. And here I was hoping to __not__ run into anything like this when investigating a haunted place… darn supernatural._

"Uh…," inputted Nick, "how can you not freak out? That horrifying sound came from either behind or next to you, and it sounded demonic. We know what demonic sounds like… so, we are completely freaking out…" Aaron nods "… I just don't understand what you could have gone through that would be considered worse. Have you actually encountered things like this before?"

Dria did not want to answer that. "Maybe I'll tell you later. I barely know you guys. I don't go spilling my life's story to everyone I meet you know."

"Enough said," supported Aaron.

Dria liked Aaron, even though she only knew him for a few hours, she felt he would be the most understanding of the group. _Thanks Aaron, _thought Dria with a smile. _Although, I can't figure out what the dark entity meant. How would Zak, or even any of them, die without me? I mean I'm the only 'girl' present… and I just met the crew for crying out loud! Yes, I know that there is some truth to what they say sometimes; but most of the other times, they like to mess with us._

_What, is she hiding, _thought Zak to himself. _It is very strange that a first time paranormal investigator wouldn't be afraid of a low growl like that. We've been ghost investigators for years, and that sound still unnerves us! Well, we only have to deal with her for tonight, luckily. I don't like secrets and I don't like her attitude._

"Moving on," commented Nick, "did anyone hear or understand what the spirit said or growled? Honestly, it just sounded like a low demonic growl to my ears."

Dria wasn't going to say anything, but she couldn't stop the guys from finding out what it said. So, they asked Billy if he heard anything though audio and visual. He simply told them exactly what Nick had thought, that it was just a growl on the camera's audio. Next, Zak played a live feedback of the EVP recording.

"_Zak yelling at the evil entitiy…" a few seconds later…_ _**'… disembodied growl… I want _ _... not _... _ _ die without _...'**_ was all they could understand from the EVP at that point.

"Well," sighed Zak, "we'll have to wait for Billy to analyze this. Until then, let's move on to the third floor where a prisoner committed suicide by jumping off the railing."

Zak lead Nick, and Dria back up to the third floor of the main cells. Aaron split off from the group to give Billy the EVP recorder to try to decipher the message. Walking up the stairs to the third floor, Dria was worried about Billy being able to figure out what the dark entity really said. _I should go to Billy when we first split off and try to erase that EVP somehow. I don't want them to start asking questions and think it's me the entity was talking about. Ugh… why did I get myself involved with these guys? I know they'll be happy and overjoyed if they ever find out about my secret. Yeah, it would be interesting to them, they're not the ones waking up to nightmares of demons possessing your family._

The group, minus Billy and Aaron, arrived to the spot on the third floor. Dria could feel the negativity in the air, possibly from the inmate that hung himself. She has had experiences with spirits who have passed on to the afterlife by taking their own life. One of which was a friend, who also hung himself, and has been part of her life as though he never died. These emotions that she's feeling now are different than what she felt from when her friend died.

"Do either of you feel that?" Dria asked Nick and Zak.

"I feel cold," answered Nick.

"I don't really feel anything. Why, what do you feel?" Zak questioned back.

"I feel major negativity, sadness, anger… and just regular depression. Like I'm feeling what the inmate felt when he decided to attach himself to a rope and jump off the railing. I wish I knew why he was depressed… well other than the obvious of being in prision."

Zak could see though his night vision camera that Dria was holding back tears. "The inmate is attached to you it seems, I can guess because women are technically more emotional than men. In other words, we can see what he felt just by looking at you."

Dria looked to Zak, knowing he was most likely right. All of a sudden, a figure of a man, with a light blue aura, similar to the inmate spirit of Cell 13, showed up between Dria and Zak, staring at her. She wanted to talk to it, but she knew if she did that directly, she would have to explain herself to the guys, which she didn't want to do.

"Ok, now I'm cold… getting goosebumps," inputted Zak. "Are you recording this Nick?" Nick nodded. "Are you here inmate?" Zak asked the darkness. "Are you the one who hung yourself? Please talk to us. We never got a chance to talk to you the last time we were here."

Dria was still staring at the spirit, who did not move from the spot between her and Zak. Tears were beginning to flow down her face and she tried so hard to not let the womanly emotions get the best of her. She mouthed, "I'm sorry," to the spirit, making sure neither Nick nor Zak would notice through the cameras.

"_**All I've wanted was for someone to notice me," **_the spirit spoke directly to Dria. _**"Even when I was alive, all I wanted was for someone to notice me, why I drove myself to death because I felt completely alone in this world. You are the first to not only see me, but understand me… and care for me… even though you don't know me, or what I did." **_Dria reached out her hand to the spirit, who gladly took it, as a sign that she truly did care… that was just the kind of person she was. She cared for all, living and dead… even those who annoy her like Zak. _**"Cell 13 was right… you are different… and for that I feel that I can finally go to heaven's gate. I shall warn you, however, beware of Him in 'the hole." **_

_Great, another warning about that dark spirit in the hole. What? Is it really that bad of a spirit? _Dria thought to herself. "I'm not afraid," she whispered to the spirit.

"_**I figured you weren't, but you should be. He is the worst here… even compared to the rapists and murderers that were kept in here. Good bye, Alexandria, and thank you for setting me free."**_

During this time of the spirit talking to Dria, Nick had his camera going back and forth between her and Zak. Zak was still looking out, over the railing, asking random questions. The time Nick had his camera on Dria were right before she reached her hand out and before she said she wasn't afraid to the spirit. Talk about being lucky on not getting caught on camera talking to a ghost. After the ghost disappeared, Nick put the camera on Dria to see if she had a reaction to anything; of course, he caught her crying, like really crying.

"Dria, are you okay?" Nick asked. Zak turned back to Nick and Dria after hearing the question.

"Yeah, I'm fine" Dria answered while wiping away the tears and sniffling up the boogies. "Why wouldn't I be okay?"

"I saw you crying through the camera," Nick commented.

Dria turned away from Nick and Zak. "I told you I'm fine. Can we just continue the investigation?"

"Dria…" Zak breathed, "… it's okay to cry you know? To feel that emotion that a spirit felt while they were alive is completely normal… at least it's better to feel sadness than anger." He walked over to her and put a hand on her shoulder. "It's okay," he said.

Dria just shrugged off his hand, "I told you I wasn't crying. There's a lot of dust in this old building, okay? Yes, I felt how sad the spirit was when he died, but that wouldn't make me cry. Geez… can we move on now?" *Pause* "Before you answer that, I'm going to check on Billy to see if he was able to decipher that EVP." Dria stormed away using the night vision on the camera to go back down the stairs to head to nerve center.

_Ok, so I may have been crying, but I don't want the guys to know that. I hate crying in front of people, especially guys, because the second they see you all emotional, they become major push over. A push over is not fun to be around, with feeling sorry for us women all the time. Yeah, I know that can be a positive to us, but I'm not the kind of person to take the advantage of someone when their guard is down. Also, why the hell was Zak touching me? What made him think I'd be okay to get sympathy from him? I mean first he's rude to me when I first joined the investigation; second, he slams into me and knocks me out for a few minutes… which I'm probably going to bruise in the morning… then he was stupid enough to provoke a demon who now wants to mess with everyone, if not hurt them in some way, which this one in particular has an extremely dark and negative energy… now… now he's trying to show that he isn't a jerk. Well, I'd hate to be the one to say it, but one act of 'sympathy' doesn't make you a hero in my book, pal. I should get to Billy at the home base before they do so I can try to erase that EVP._

Dria was walking really fast down the stairs, more like stomping down the stairs, and before she knew it, she was slamming into something, again.

"Oww! What is the deal with you guys running into me!?" Dria asked as she gained her balance again. She shone her flash light at what she hit, and this time it was Aaron. "Oh, sorry Aaron. I just needed to get away from the others for an hour… or two… or maybe three. I didn't mean to yell at you."

"Nah, it's ok," commented Aaron as he was standing up from the knock out. "I'm used to it. The guys yell at me all the time… well, mostly Zak does… and it's usually as a joke. He's also one of my best friends, so I don't let it get to me."

"I've seen on the show how you're always the one that's picked on, especially by Zak. Why does he pick on you so? Is it only in the show or is it in real life as well?"

"Luckily, it's only really on the show. It makes our viewers laugh more. Not that it's staged or anything, it's naturally put in there. It's just, apparently people find it funny that I am put into the 'worst' rooms… well, I guess it's my fault that I tend to show fear around the spirits. Oh well, I'm not complaining."

"Ok, if you say so. I know your fans are important, but if someone is out of line while I'm around either with you guys or with fans, I have no problems setting them straight."

"Just curious, why or how would you get anything from fans?"

"Well, Aaron, number one: curiosity killed the cat, so be careful." Both Dria and Aaron laughed at this. "Number two: if I'm aired in this episode with you guys, your fans will know about me and possibly try to 'reach out' to me. Number three: I'm pretty sure a lot of Zak's 'fangirls' wouldn't like how I'm treating him. To be fair, he does have an ego the size of Asia."

"That is a reasonable evaluation. Now here's my other question, why were you flying down the stairs angry? You don't seem like the kind of person who lets things get under your skin."

Dria put on a fake smile, "I just needed to get away from the guys. Maybe I'll tell you the full reason at another time. Right now, I'd like to talk to Billy about that EVP."

"He might not have anything yet, Dria."

"Why do you say that?"

"See these little devices we have clipped to our belts?" Dria gave him the sarcastic head shake. "Billy will radio us when he's found something."

"I get that, but I want to see if I can help in any way."

"Oh, I see. Well, then I guess I'll see you in an hour or so, dude."

"Dudette."

"What?"

"Dudette. It's the female way of saying 'dude.'"

"Oh, ok, dudette." Dria put her thumbs up with a smile as she walked away from Aaron. "Strange, that woman is… she'll fit right in," mumbled Aaron.

"_How is it going over there, Billy?" _asked Zak over the walkie.

"Nothing much, I'm still trying to decipher the EVP on the recorder that Aaron gave me. How's it…" Billy cut off mid-sentence due to a presence he felt coming up from behind him.

"_Billy? Billy, is everything ok?"_

"Yeah… I just felt like something was coming up from behind me." Billy turned around one more time. "But I don't… holy shit!" Billy screamed from seeing a figure getting closer to him in the dark with a red ball of light.

"_Billy!?"_

"Oh my goodness! I'm so sorry, Billy!" apologized Dria.

"Geez, Dria! You scared the shit out of me!

"_Billy! Billy, don't worry, we're on our way!"_ yelled Zak through the walkie.

Billy almost forgot about Zak. "Zak, dude, it's ok! It was only Dria. She snuck up on me on accident. You guys don't have to come back yet, finish your session first."

Dria took the walkie from Billy, "Sorry, Zak. Apparently, I'm really good at sneaking up on people. It's all good now."

_"Well, that's good to know. Why did you go to nerve center anyway? You're not scared, are you?"_

"Oh yeah, Zak, that's it. I'm so totally scared…" Dria rolled her eyes. "I just don't want to be around you right now. Besides, I thought I could help Billy decipher the EVP. I got pretty good at figuring out what people were saying in telephone recordings for criminal investigations; so maybe I could figure out what the spirit entity was saying."

"_Well, sorry to disappoint, but we're heading back anyways with some video footage that Aaron found on the static night vision camera that was focused on the cell you were just at with us…"_

_Oh God, please don't tell me they saw me talking to a ghost… _thought Dria.

"… _basically, we found a white mist floating behind me… and in front of you, Dria. Was that why you were crying?"_

"No comment, end of conversation," Dria said and handed the walkie back to Billy while asking, "Can I see the evaluation of the EVP, please?"

Billy was puzzled as to what just happened with Dria and Zak on the walkie talkie, but he pulled up the analysis for her anyway. "What's up with you two?" he asked.

"Nothing… doesn't matter anyway, I'm only with you guys for this one investigation. I get what I want, you guys get what you want, everyone's happy."

Billy just shrugged and went to the other monitors to watch the other static night vision cameras around the prison.

Dria sat in a chair in front of the monitor with the EVP of the dark entity from the Hole. She wanted to first listen to it to see if she could understand it with modern technology instead of her own ears. If she could figure out what the entity said through the recording device, then the guys could too… and then she'd have to go through the trouble of messing with the EVP, and she really didn't have time for that.

Expanding the sound waves with the program on the computer, Dria was able to zoom in on the hidden message in the EVP. The first time she heard the entity through the recording, she could make out every syllable, but only fragments of words, like what the guys were able to point out right after hearing the live playback. Dria played the recording over and over again so see if she could make out anything, but she seemed to keep getting distracted by the monitors that were showing the guys walking back to home base. Any minute, the guys would be back, so she needed to focus on what the EVP was saying. As her way of focusing, she takes a deep breath and closes her eyes to zone in on the one sense, of hearing. Luckily, it didn't take much or her to hear something, since she was gifted in sensitive hearing (and smell, but sight… not so much). One last time, she was able to hear: "disembodied growl… I want… not…" and then she felt fingers tickling the back of her neck. As a self defense, she spun around faster than you could say "welcome foolish mortals" and swung at the first alive thing that was in her fists path. Of course, it just so happened to be the guy she despised the most… Zak.

"Aaron, do you think Zak is going to truly hate me forever now?" asked Dria as they were walking towards the back part of the reformatory (the second story of the East Wing to the Infirmary where there had been countless attacks on people).

_Now I can't delete that EVP or the video of me and the Cell 13 ghost. Yup, I'm screwed… and not the literal sense. I just don't want them jumping up and down for joy for the 'evidence' I got for them. Hello, just because the guy is dead doesn't mean he doesn't deserve privacy._

"Nah, he'll get over it, eventually," shrugged Aaron. "Believe it or not, whenever we break his concentration on accident or on purpose, he totally flips out too. Sometimes he actually hits us, other times he just storms off from anger."

"So, in other words, we seem to be alike?"

"Yes and no. You seem to think of others first, unless they're the ones being stupid, then you're unafraid of telling them so, like you have been with Zak. However, you both seem to be passionate about historical places. For him, it's the paranormal part, and for you it's just the history… well, the history of law and criminal activity."

"I guess… wait…" stopped Dria as she heard a loud bang coming from the operation room of the infirmary. "Did you hear that Aaron?"

"Yeah. I heard a man screaming too." Aaron hit rewind on his camera to see if he captured the bang and scream. "Oh my God," gasped Aaron. "That door over there that leads to the old elevator, it just opened then slammed shut!"

Dria took the camera from Aaron and looked at the footage. She saw what Aaron described, but also saw what Aaron couldn't: a man in a prison uniform with red eyes smiling at them as he slammed the door. She also noticed that the scream came from the elevator shaft of a trapped spirit. The one thing that Aaron didn't hear was the prisoner saying, "_**Our master is waiting for you at the Hole, Miss Alexandria."**_

Of course, how the spirit knew who she was freaked Dria out, on the inside. She just knew that this prisoner in the infirmary with Aaron and her was NOT a demon, like most people would think, because of the red eyes. Based on her past experience, she could tell that this spirit was just an evil spirit who followed and did the dirty work for a real demon. Since she's good at drawing conclusions, she knew the entity in the Hole was, in fact, a demon; and the evil spirits contained in this once active prison all confine to its demands like slaves.

To help Dria snap out of the realization of the real terror in the reformatory, Zak's voice came from the walkie talkie. "_Hey guys, it's a few hours until day break. We need to split up to do some sessions alone." _

Dria knew this was the perfect time to go to the Hole, alone. "I'll go to the Hole, Zak," Dria said over the walkie. She could tell Zak rolled his eyes at that.

"_I don't think that's a good idea. We don't want you swinging at nothing you know."_

"Whatever, Zak, I'm going there whether you approve or not." She stuck her tongue out at him, making Aaron laugh since only he could physically see that.

"_Why are you so keen on going down there?"_ Few moments of silence pass… _"Whatever, do what you want. I hope you know that's the worst place in the reformatory. It's been known to have occurrences happen more when women are around: with being touched and hearing dark/demonic voices."_

"I know, Zak. That's why I want to go, to prove that the thing down there doesn't mess with any other woman. I'm not afraid."

"_Ugh, fine. Just call any one of us on the walkie if you ever need help or you see something. I'm going to the Chapel; hoping to get some demonic activity. Aaron, you should stay where you are. There have been numerous attacks on people up there._"

"Of course," Aaron said under his breath.

"_Nick will be going to Cell 13 where the man burned himself to death."_

_Good luck with that, considering he's no longer there, _Dria thought.

Going to the Hole, the only explanation to the spirits in the facility knowing and fearing this entity is that it is a demon… in other words, a fallen angel who follows Lucifer. Dria knew the danger in putting herself in a demon's way, but with her experience with the things, she knew that her curse was the only way to help keep the world safe from them. Of course, the crew had no idea she had this experience, but she wanted to keep it that way and was hoping she could do her job without them finding out.

Dria made her way to the Hole and prayed the whole time walking to it: _Though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, your rod and staff comfort me. You are always with me, You never leave me nor forsake me. I still don't understand why you've given me this ability, Lord. It frightens me every day because at a moment's notice, a demon could take over me or the people I care most about in my life just to get to me… like they have before. I know only we can control letting them in, but it's still a major fear. So, once again, please protect me with your grace and love, so I may be put to fight for you another day. My heart and soul are Yours, Lord, please protect me from any harm that may come from returning this fallen angel to the known Abyss. I love You & I praise You. In the name of Jesus Christ, I pray. Amen._

As soon as Dria entered the area known as the Hole, she came face to face with red eyed black figure. She knew that if she showed any kind of fear, it would gain confidence and use anything to tear her down. So, she had a perfectly straight face, just as before when she was down there with the guys. Which, she then wondered if the guys were, at all, in a similar "frightening" situation…

Aaron had only heard laughter echoing through the infirmary when Dria left. "This is Aaron in the infirmary. I can only document the sound of multiple spirits laughing; only it isn't a humor/good laughing. It's the kind of laughing that the guys and I have heard before on lock downs… when the spirits are laughing at us and mocking us. I also feel like I'm standing in a crowded room where people are pointing and laughing. It's just strange because why would I feel that way when nothing has been documented on the infirmary hosting events like that."

Nick was in Cell 13, hoping to get some visual or audio evidence of the man who burned himself to death. However, from a recent event that was unknown to him, the man was set free by Dria earlier in the investigation. After asking what seemed like hundreds of questions out loud, Nick was about to give up and head back to base when he suddenly saw a shadow-like apparition leaning on the fence down the walkway of the cell row in his night-vision camera. "This is Nick at Cell 13. I wasn't able to get any EVPs, audio, or visual evidence until I pointed my camera down the walkway of the cells and saw a full shadow apparition. But, when I tried to video more of the apparition, it disappeared. That was completely freaky, man. I can't wait to show the guys."

Zak was in the Chapel, where it was known for people to get scratched and eerie voices through EVPs. "Alright you evil bastards who are scratching people! The Ghost Adventures Crew are back and we're taking you down, showing the world how cowardly you really are!" Just as soon as Zak shared his opinion to the unknown spirits, he got an unrelated response through the spirit box: _**"…**_ _**he's… gonna.. get… her…" "…unexplained laughter…"**_ Zak had to replay the audio from the camera to make sure he heard the voice on the spirit box correctly. _What is this thing talking about? _wondered Zak. _Who is this "he" and who is the "she"… *gasp*… _"Dria…" he breathed in shock.

"_**So… we meet at last… Alexandria."**_ hissed the demon. _**"I have been waiting for you. I knew you'd come, even though I had hoped you would have come alone."**_

"Well, this was the only way I could get in to this place. I could hear your calling from miles away. What do you want?"

"_**What do you think I want? I want your soul."**_

"Ha! Right, and I want there to be world peace, but you know, we can't always get what we want. Besides, according to the man upstairs, my soul isn't something I can just give away. So, try again demon."

"_**Don't you dare taunt me, human! You should be trembling in fear!" the demon growled in anger.**_

"I am not afraid of you. You're pathetic and weak." The whole time, Dria kept a straight face, showed no emotion. She could feel the mini bible in her pocket and her silver knife in her boot.

"_**Weak!? You think I'm weak? I'll show you weak!" **_ The demon started rattling the cell doors so much to where the one closest to them was being pulled off with so much force, it actually began to scare Dria.

_Oh fuck,_ thought Dria. _I guess I better quit the chit-chat. _As soon as she balanced herself while holding her bible, the demon rushed up on her and knocked the bible out of her hands. It's red eyes looked into her soul and growled with satisfaction because it knew that Dria was beginning to be afraid. Dria may have been afraid, but she did not dare scream and still stood her ground. It reached for her neck, to attempt to choke her, however it repelled in anger because of the silver cross with a Jesus Christ figure she wore on her throat. From anger, the demon through Dria against a nearby wall (that was hard brick), knocking the wind out of her. Amazingly, Dria was still able to recite bible verses in Hebrew: _"… though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I shall fear no evil, for you are with me…"_

"_**You will learn to fear me! You will learn to obey me and only me!"**_

"NO! I will not fear you nor obey you! I only obey my Father in heaven! The one who created me and loves me! The God in the Highest who sent His one and ONLY Son to die for my sins so that I may live forever with Him in heaven! You know who that is, pathetic demon!? I know you do. All followers of Satan know of the Son of the Father."

"_**Don't you dare say it, human! You have no right to even speak the name!"**_

"His name, is the Name Above All Names…" the demon growled. "… He is the King of all Kings, Lord of all Lords. Emmanuel. He is… Jesus Christ our Savior."

"_**No!" **_the demon roared with rage. The demon's temperament grew far worse and its energy caused the doors in the Hole to all slam shut. Dria also got thrown against the bars of the cells and hit her head on the metal bar, knocking her out making her completely lifeless on the ground. _**"I have you now," **_laughed the dark entity.

Dria dreamed of feet running towards her and hearing a voice: "Dria! Get up!"

That voice turned out to be non other than Zak. The demon sneered and shoved Zak against the stone wall, making it difficult for Zak to breathe and making him drop the camera onto the cold stone ground. Zak, trying to catch his breath (and unable to move because the demon put a hold on him) looked over to Dria and saw that she was still unmoving. The demon only laughed at their mortal weakness and was inching over towards Dria to consume her when all of a sudden, there was no more darkness, only light. The bright light came from around Dria and speared toward the demon. The evil entity tried to disappear, but the strong luminescent light caught it and turned it into dust. After the demon was destroyed, the light vanished and all that were left were Dria on the ground and Zak trying to stand up so he could walk over to her to make sure she was still alive.

As he reached for her shoulder, she began coughing, "Thanks, Abigail. You always show up when I need you." She then turned to sit up and breathe for a few minutes.

"Dria, what just happened?" Zak was asking in freight. _Shit,_ she thought, _I completely thought he was only in my dream. I didn't know he was actually here! Great._ "Also, who is Abigail?" Zak was now kneeling next to Dria, who was now sitting and leaning against the wall. He saw the cut and bruise on her forehead. "We should probably get you to a doctor," he suggested as he moved her hair from her face to see how bad the damage was.

Dria looked at him with exhaustion, "No, Zak, it's okay. I'm okay. This honestly happens more than you'd believe." Zak gave a worried look. "Hello, working with the Police Department and all, doi. Just because I already work with dead bodies doesn't mean it's a 'safe' job."

For some strange reason, Dria and Zak had a moment where they didn't argue or disagree. They were both in shock, Zak was in the most shock considering from the years of doing this job, he's NEVER seen anything like that. Out of nowhere, there were lights coming from down the tunnel, making Dria gasp of surprise. Zak turned towards the light, only to find that the light was coming from both Aaron and Nick. They had flashlights and their night vision cameras were fully charged. "Uh… hey… guys…" Zak mumbled and stood up rather quickly. _So much for a decent moment,_ thought Dria.

"What happened down here guys?" Aaron asked with a concerned look on his face. "We heard something that sounded like a sonic boom. It seriously freaked me out, bro. Then I tried to radio everyone, but only Nick responded."

"Yeah, it was seriously weird, dude," commented Nick. "I wasn't getting anything until I saw a dark shadow figure lean onto the fence a few cells down… and then the loud '_Boom!'_ happened. When Aaron called me over the radio, we decided to meet up with Billy to see where you guys might be. Of course, he saw where Zak headed to before his camera went out, so that's when we practically ran down here."

"Guys," Zak started, "I didn't see much because I was knocked out. However, I swear I saw a demon in full apparition." Zak bent back down to Dria, so he was eye level with her once more. "Dria," he sighed, "what really happened? Who… is… Abigail? And how did that thing know you by name?" Both Nick and Aaron looked to Dria, then Zak, then each other with puzzled looks of shock.

_Shit… I was hoping not to tell these guys, because the next thing I know, I'm all over the media being labeled as a "psychic" or "medium" or something. I just know they're reactions will be the "happy-shock" attitude: "Wow! That's awesome! What's it like!? We can't wait to tell our viewers and other believers!" You know, the blah-blah-blah and yay-yay-yay. With what Zak saw, and how much they believe in the supernatural, it wouldn't hurt to tell them the truth, right?_

Zak saw the worry in Dria's eyes. "Dria, you can trust us. If you don't want your story told, then we won't tell it."

Dria looked to Zak, up to Aaron and Nick who were standing a few feet away, where the demon was. She took a deep breath, "Alright. I will tell you the truth... ONLY if you keep this off record, deal?" They all nodded their heads in agreement and turned off their cameras. "I was trying to exercise the demon that was down here. I saw it completely standing there earlier when we were down here as a team, but it wouldn't do any real harm because it only wanted to hurt one person: me." Nick and Aaron had 'deer in the headlights' looks, while Zak just stared, with a significant amount of concentration. "This is why I chose this room to be alone in. I don't like when other people get hurt on my account, plus I've dealt with this kind of entity before." Dria saw how they were forming words in their heads and how their lips were moving to get prepared to say something… well except Zak. "Look before you start asking questions on how I know this, let me at least explain what happened here.

"I came down here to attempt on sending the demon controlling this place back to The Abyss, or at least try to confront it. By the way, The Abyss is a biblical term that isn't referenced as 'Hell' per say, but a place that demons fear the most. As soon as it saw me, it started throwing me against the stone walls to make me physically weak so that it may take over my body. The only things that it wasn't counting on were: my strong will and faith of Christ in my heart, Zak showing up out of nowhere (which I have no idea why he came down here to begin with), and my guardian angel, Abigail."

"Well," started Zak, "considering of what just happened and from what you're telling us, this won't sound crazy at all: a spirit in the Chapel gave me a warning that something was going to happen to you. So, I ran down here thinking I could save you. I had no idea that there would be a full apparition demon trying to consume you… and of course it made me paralyzed from the impact of being thrown into the cell steel doors. I saw a white light appear out of nowhere like 10 minutes after that. Now that was bizarre… so… you're telling me that the bright white light I saw basically destroy the demon was actually your guardian angel?"

"Yes, it was. She tends to show up when I'm in the most trouble, which luckily doesn't happen very often." The guys gave Dria a strange look as to say, 'Riiggghht.' "What? I can hold my own. I'm not a 'damsel in distress' like most women in this situation, alright?"

Aaron just put his hands up, palms facing Dria, "Ok, ok, we understand to not to sub-categorize you, Miss Heroine. But seriously, dude, that… is fucking awesome!" Both Aaron and Nick had giddy looks on their faces.

Dria couldn't help but smile at that, "Thanks, I guess, Aaron. Just to be clear though, I don't think it's that magnificent of an ability."

"Why do you say that?" asked Nick. "You're basically a medium, aren't you? To us, in this business, that would be awesome."

"Well," started Dria, "since we're basically being 'out in the open' here: I actually don't know what I am. I don't consider myself a medium because not only can I sense the paranormal, I can also just flat out see them like I see you. Mediums just sense their presence and see a vision of what the spirit may look like in their mind. Obviously, you can all draw the conclusion that I can also see demons and angels, which is also no walk in the park, believe me… one is just a frightening as the other. I've been able to communicate and see the supernatural since I was a toddler, to say the least, or at least when I was old enough to remember."

"Can you do anything else?" asked Nick.

"Yeah, can you like touch the spirits like you can touch us?" asked Aaron.

"Do you remember your first spirit or entity?" Nick asked a second question.

Aaron was getting excited, "How many angels have…"

"Whoa, guys!" Dria nearly yelled out of frustration. "Gah! You see why I didn't want to tell you anything? I knew you'd be asking a million questions. Look, the sun will rise soon, so we'll be done with this investigation for the night. Please do me a favor, don't mention this to anyone, and I mean **anyone**. The only people I'd be lenient on are Billy and Jay… they most likely saw and heard me talking to the spirit in Cell 13 anyway."

"So, that's why I couldn't get any visual or voice analysis!" Nick expressed in relief. "I thought the guy just didn't want to talk to me."

"Okay, I understand that you guys set out to find real hard evidence of the paranormal… but…" Dria says with a worried face. "I need you guys to promise me that you won't share my ability, my cursed gift, to your viewers, least of all the world."

"Dria…" Zak finally spoke, "don't you know how much this will help us? How much it would help people get answers of what happens to us beyond the grave? What happens to our loved ones?"

"That's all humans care about, getting answers." Dria spat out. She was clenching her fists so hard, her knuckles were turning white and her nails were paper-cutting her skin. _I can't believe it! I knew all they cared about were ratings and getting more viewers! Gah! I am so furious right now, but I can't let them see that. I can't let them see me cry in anger. They will never understand how this 'curse' affects me and my life._ Dria stood up with her head held high, hands in her jacket pockets. She spoke with a shaky and cracked voice, "Do you guys ever think about why God has certain things happen the way they do? Why people who spend their lives trying to figure the world out end up going to the looney bin? We're not created to 'understand' everything in this world. We cannot fathom the reasons God has things happen in the time He wants it to; just like we cannot fathom how great his love, forgiveness, and meekness are. Those people who call themselves 'mediums' and 'psychics' don't understand the real responsibility of this 'special communication.' They share it with the world because they want attention and want everyone to know they're 'special.' I may not know what God wants with me, but I _do _know that He wants me to share in secret, like Christ did." Dria paused for what felt like miles of seconds that would not pass by. "I need you guys to _promise._ Promise that you will not under any circumstances, share this with anyone."

Nick, Aaron, and Zak all looked at each other with empathy. Then looking back to Dria, all three said sporadically, "I promise."

"Good. Thank you for including me on this investigation, but it was definitely a one-time deal. Now, if you don't mind, I'd like to get home to my family." Dria grabbed her camera and used the night vision on the camera to walk out of the Hole, passing the guys without one glance.

As Dria was walking back up the steps into the main hallway between the West and East Cell Blocks, she was hearing soft voices down both of the cell blocks. She couldn't understand what they were saying, so she paused with her eyes shut in the middle of the hallway. Dria then felt a cold touch on her arm. Opening her eyes to see who or what it was, a younger looking man in a prison uniform was standing beside her. _**"Thank you,"**_ he said. Then within seconds, he vanished.

This occurrence brought tears to Dria's eyes, "You're welcome." She stood there for a moment, taking deep breaths, so that her breathing wasn't noticeably heavy when she got back to nerve center to give Billy the camera.

"Dria!" She heard a voice yell behind her. "Wait up!" She didn't turn around to see who it was; instead, she just continued speed-walking towards the nerve center. Next thing she knew, there was a soft hand on her right arm. He was out of breath from running to catch up to her. "Dria," his voice was calm and gentle, "please wait for a minute."

She finally turned to face the lead investigator. "I don't know what you want from me, Zak, but I'm done. One investigation with you is enough to last a lifetime." They stood in an area were the sun was streaming through the windows. Dria could see the concern in his eyes, which she thought was strange because a moment ago she could only see revelation. "Why do you care? You may have experiences of your own with devilish entities, but you have _**no**_ idea what things like that are truly capable of."

"Honestly, I don't know why I care so much. I barely know you and from the bits and pieces I have gathered about you, I just want to forget you're even here. However, something inside of me is telling me completely opposite, kind of like a Jiminy Cricket in my heart. Don't worry, I haven't actually eaten any crickets." Dria just looked at him like, 'Seriously?' "So much for trying to get you to laugh. I can see that something is going on in that head of yours; I'm just trying to help. The spirits spoke to you again, didn't they?"

Dria stared at him with tiny puddles of water appearing under her eyes. "So what if they did? Are you going to beat yourself up because you didn't get it on tape?"

Zak used his right hand to wipe away the tears on Dria's face while still gently holding her right arm. "No. I'm sorry for offending you; I speak without thinking sometimes… or most of the time. It is ok to get emotional, you know."

Dria politely removed his one hand from her face and the other from her arm. "For me, getting emotional has always cost something. I'm sorry, I have to go." She stepped past him towards the door about a meter away, gave one last heartfelt look to Zak, and then walked into the room where the tech analyst was gathering up equipment.

Zak followed after her, and then came Nick and Aaron. After a few minutes, the team was ready to head out and head back to their hotel. Dria said good bye to everyone but Zak, giving Aaron a hug and business card, then marched up the pebble road to her parked car on the other side of the street. As soon as the engine of her Aunt's truck rumbled, she never looked back while driving away because she was afraid of caring for him in return.

Aaron was sad after Dria left, Nick was disappointed that she wouldn't help them, and Zak just simply wanted to forget about her.


	2. Chapter 2

Chapter 2: Mistaken Identity

"_Please fasten your seatbelts as we prepare for takeoff. The captain will turn off the seatbelt sign when you are free to move about the cabin. Thank you for choosing United Airlines and we hope you enjoy the flight to Houston Intercontinental Airport."_

The flight attendant put the microphone back as the captain said, "Flight attendants, please prepare for takeoff." The engine then began to roar at a high volume of the acceleration caused by the main controls in the cockpit. Dria always loved the takeoff when flying… then again she loved planes in general, since she grew up with her dad working on them in the military and as a civilian after he retired. _Boy, do I miss seeing my dad work on the Tomcat… seriously… if only I could go back in time, or have the money to buy a Tomcat._ _Oh well, right now, I have more important things to worry about than past memories. For instance, moving…_ _Why am I moving again?_ Dria leaned back into her seat after reaching the proper altitude; putting the hoodie over her side-fishtail-French-braided dark-brown hair, sticking her hands in the black Batman jacket pocket, and crossing her legs to keep warm from the cold air of the plane… _This is why I wear a jacket and jeans on the plane, no matter what kind weather is at the destination_. She then closed her eyes and remembered an event that happened roughly six months before:

"You think with the snowy weather, criminals would take a break," commented Detective Reichs while briefing at a crime scene in a Christmas tree lot.

"Yeah," replied Dria, "and let us spend time with our families over the holidays instead of trying to catch their dumb asses."

"Well, looks like the victimology fits the M.O. of our serial killer," Reichs said as Dria lifted up the plastic covering that was on top of the victim. "Victim's name was Kristen Villapos, 29, African American, just finishing up grad school at UTK [University of Tennessee Knoxville]. There is visual evidence of strangulation and blunt force trauma to the head. Kristen may have been sexually assaulted, but we won't know until the M.E. report."

"There is the obvious to this victim compared to the others…. she isn't skeletonized… then again, it's below zero out here, which would cause the decomposition to slow down, a lot. Aside from that, I do think she was a fighter and got away before the unsub could finish her off. The dump site is different too. It's in a public place, so our guy wanted her to be found instead of hidden at the park."

"Yeah, a family-public place. I'm just happy no kids saw her, they'd be scarred for life. So, what's your theory? And how do we know it's the same guy?"

"Well, we've come to the conclusion that this guy boils their bodies in sulfuric acid while they're alive, correct?" Reichs nods her head. "With Kristen, there was more remorse, like the unsub personally knew her and couldn't bring themselves to burn her alive. We would assume from the bruises on her neck that she was strangled, but we won't know for sure until the autopsy… which will also tell us if this really is our guy. My only question is: was this on accident? It's not as brutal, so we can only hope our guy slipped up."

"Dria, every time we have one of these cases, you cease to amaze me. You sure you don't want to become a profiler for the FBI? You'd be amazing at it."

"No, I couldn't handle being away all the time and putting my life on the line when I have someone who's counting on me to take care of her, like I promised."

"Just saying, you could have a way better job than being in this hell hole." Dria gave her an oppressive look. "What? I'm sorry, but this place is a hell hole." They got into their Suburban and started driving back to the station.

"A real hell hole would be Phoenix… or worse, Las Vegas…" Dria mumbled.

"You're still thinking of those guys aren't you? Woman, it's been like…"

"A month… I know. I guess that event left an imprint on me, or something."

"Or, you're just thinking about the hotness of Zak Bagans!"

"Gah! No! That would be you… you man-crazy woman! In difference to what you might think, Zak Bagans is NOT the kind of 'perfect man' every woman makes him out to be. I mean, come on, he ran away crying like a little girl from a freaking donkey!"

"Hey, donkeys are mean and viscous… they bite a lot."

"Excuses, excuses… all I'm saying is that particular event made an imprint on me. Anyways, moving on, what do we have on the perpetrator?"

"Not much, just that he seems to be racist, victims always being of color."

"Well, maybe we need to interview the known victim's families. We might be missing something." *Phone ringing* "Dr. Kovach here. Yes. Oh my, really? Ok, we're on our way to the station anyway. Thanks." Dria hung up with a puzzled look.

"What's up?"

"Apparently, a young African American woman just came forward after seeing the media coverage of the latest victim. Since the vic's name wasn't given to the press, all they have is that another black woman was murdered. With this being an act of a serial killer, the public needed to be warned. Anyway, the young woman informed the station that her sister had been missing for a few days. They told me she has more information, but she won't talk to the officers at the station… for some reason she will only talk to me."

"That's strange… then again, you do have your PhD in 'people skills.'"

"Anthropology."

"Whatever, you know how to talk to certain people."

"Okay… whatever you say Reichs."

They pulled up to the station. "Although," Reichs said as they got out of the car, "I could never understand how you're so good with people we meet and deal with, but you're terrible at not letting some pretty boy get to you."

Dria rolled her eyes, "Can you just leave it alone? If I ever hear from the guys again, I'll make sure 'pretty boy' gives you a call, just so you can get off my back."

"Deal… as long as he lets me get on his back instead," teased Reichs while smiling with her tongue between her teeth.

An officer walked up to Dria, "The young woman is waiting for you in your office."

"Thanks, Matthews." Dria left Detective Reichs and walked to her office, taking a deep breath in preparation for conversing with a loved one of a victim. "Hi, I'm Dr. Kovach. You requested to speak to me."

The young woman stood up from the visitor's chair, entire body shaking with arms crossed and depressed expression on her face. "Yes, ma'am. My name is Kasey Villapos. I wanted to find out for sure if the woman they spoke of on TV was my sister. I brought a picture." She took out the small photo of a woman, who looked similar to her, from her purse.

As soon as Dria saw the picture of Kristen, her eyes got serious with empathy. "Ms. Villapos, I am so sorry to tell you this, but the woman found was Kristen." Right away Kasey was crying while trying to keep a calm face. _Man, _thought Dria, _I love my job, but this part never gets easy._ "I am sorry for your loss. If there's anything you need, please let us know."

Kasey nodded while using a tissue from her purse to wipe away the tears and blow her nose. "Do you know if she's connected to the other murders?"

"We won't know until the autopsy report. However, we do know that she didn't suffer like the other victims that were found."

"Why do you say that?" Kasey asked with a cracked voice.

"Your sister… she didn't die the same way as the others. They were burned with sulfuric acid inside and out… until they were only skeletons. Do you mind if we ask you some questions?"

"Might as well."

"Did your sister have anyone really close in her life? Like someone who was a best friend, or seemed like a brother or sister? We ask because whoever killed her had sympathy towards her."

Kasey shook her head, "We were very close, and she never mentioned anyone." There was a slight pause, and then Kasey put her hand to her mouth. "Wait… there was this one guy who tried to get with the both of us. I met him on an online group that's linked to the college for our major. We would hang out at the coffee place on campus. He seemed like a descent guy at the time, but then I would find him following me from work… class… the gym… everywhere. I reported it to the police, but there wasn't enough evidence to prove that he was a threat. That was until he kidnapped me." Kasey shivered and started crying again.

"It's ok, Kasey. No one is going to hurt you," said Reichs in comfort.

Kasey still had fear in her eyes. "You don't understand. I could never come forward with what I went through with this guy. I told my parents and they didn't believe me! I love my sister, but she would only do or say what my parents allowed. I then find out that she started dating the same guy who kidnapped and… tortured me!"

"Kasey, we know this is hard, but we need to know what he did to you. Please… help us catch this guy before he hurts someone else," Dria requested.

"He… he would burn me on my back with some kind of acid…" she turned around and lifted her shirt to show the burn marks. "He then told me it was so I could be free from the prison of my parents and that we could be together forever. To consummate our bond, he then would… rape me… repeatedly… then the last thing he did was use a knife to cut into my spine, so I would always have his mark. Then, one day, I wasn't bound tight enough to the bed I was kept on, and was able to get out of the house." Kasey then was crying like someone had taken the life out of her.

"Kasey… one last question… how long ago was this?"

Kasey was silent for a moment, catching her breath, "It was about a year ago… around Halloween."

Dria and Reichs looked at each other. "That's right when the murders started. Kasey, you will be under protective custody until we catch this guy. We do need your help one last time though."

"Sure, but what can I do?"

"Can you give a description to one of our sketch artists of this man? And describe as best you can of the place you were kept in?"

Kasey nodded. "I will try my best… all I can remember was his name was Gary Sanders… and the place he had was like a cabin, out in some wooded area."

"We'll look it up," commented Reichs, "thank you for all of your help, Kasey. Officer Williams, would you take Kasey to Rachel so she can get a sketch made up?" Williams nodded from the doorway and gestured Kasey to lead the way out of the office.

***Beep beep*** "Oh," Dria said while looking at her phone, "looks like Dr. Brent has some things to show us with Kristen's autopsy."

**(Meanwhile… unbeknown to Dria)**

"Let's hope this trip isn't for nothing," commented Nick while getting off the plane. "She didn't seem too happy the last time she saw us."

"Correction, she wasn't too happy with Zak," inputted Aaron, "… hence, why he didn't come on this trip with us. Besides, I've been talking to her, you know, email, text, whatnot." Nick rose an eyebrow, "I can see what you're thinking, Nick, there is no 'romantic spark' between us. We're like long-lost best friends. She's actually not interested in finding romance because she's happy with her job and daughter."

"Daughter? That's interesting," Nick sighed.

"What?"

"Nothing, let's just get a rental and get to the station… or school. Hopefully she'll be there. I highly doubt they'll give us her home address, security purposes of course."

"Ok, sounds like a plan. Maybe we can see the school she works at, too… with the 'Body Farm.' Seriously, how creepy, but cool, does that sound?"

Nick just rolled his eyes at Aaron. After waiting around for 30 minutes for the Hertz shuttle, they patiently waited for help at the car rental. After another 30 minutes, they were able to get their usual rental, GMC Terrain.

"Do you think she'll be annoyed or happy to see us?" asked Nick while setting up the GPS to find the hotel, the school, and the station. "I mean, she shouldn't turn us away considering we flew all the way here."

"Technically, I flew the farthest, almost 2,000 miles to get here, while you only flew under 1,000 from Boston. She will at least appreciate me flying all the way over here, so there," Aaron stuck his tongue out at Nick.

"Fine, you win. Remind me again why we're doing this?" Nick questioned as they parked at the Hilton Garden Inn.

"We are doing this because we need her," responded Aaron as they walked through the lobby door to the front desk. "We don't have to tell the world, but she would be able to get much better evidence. A big plus that I'm hoping will convince her is the fact that LVPD is a better place for her skills… with being able to identify skeletal remains that is."

"Here is your room key, sirs," said the concierge with a raised eyebrow while handing the key card to Nick.

Nick raised his left hand pointing to his wedding ring. "Married to a beautiful blonde with a beautiful daughter, thank you."

"Did that guy just assume we were a couple?" asked Aaron as they walked to the elevator.

"Apparently," Nick sighed while pressing the 5 level button.

"Ok, just because we got a room together does not make us gay. Hello, having one room with two beds does not mean we're together. Now if we were sharing one bed, then I'd understand the concern. Luckily, we have frequent flyer miles, so the tickets weren't too bad. Anyway, I say we freshen up a bit, then head to the school to see if we can find Dria there first," commented Aaron as they got to the room.

"Alright, let's go in a few hours, before the work day ends. I am taking a much needed nap," yawned Nick while getting comfortable on the bed.

"Fine, while you nap, I'm going to get some grub… the plane food isn't that great."

Nick waved a hand at him as if saying, _Yeah, yeah, just go away and let me sleep._

Aaron made it down to the lobby and saw there were pamphlets for dining. _Hmm… what sounds good? Oh! Noodles & Company is just around the corner. Man, I haven't had food from there in such a long time. The guys will totally be jealous._ Aaron walked out of the lobby to the restaurant down the street. The whole time he was walking, he was staring down at his phone posting on Twitter and Facebook, so he didn't notice people looking at him in shock. He caught a few glances as he got in line in the restaurant, _Eh, just GAC fans in shock at seeing the famous Aaron Goodwin… and probably wondering where Nick and Zak are… especially the ladies with Zak. There are some positives at not having him around._

"Hi there, good sir," started the cashier. "What can we get started for you?"

"Hi, could I get the Indonesian Peanut Saute, small, with a large drink?"

"Of course, would you like a soup or salad to go with that, sir?"

"Sure, how about a small tossed green salad."

"Ok, I've got a small Indonesian Peanut Saute and tossed green salad with one large drink. Anything else, sir?" the cashier was remarkably calm compared to the rest of the staff.

_Ok, wonder why these people are more afraid than excited. Do I have a noticeable ghost attached at my hip or something?_ "No, thank you, that will be all. Could I have it in a to-go bag please?"

"Of course, sir. Ok, your total comes to $8.66." Aaron hands the cashier a $10 bill. "Out of 10, $1.34 is your change. Your order will be ready within a few minutes."

Aaron sat down at one of the booths and waited for his order to be ready. _Number 203… hopefully it won't take long, my stomach is in complete knots._

Five minutes go by… "Number two-oh-three, your order is ready." _Thank God that was quick._ Aaron got up and grabbed his food. "Thank you for choosing Noodles & Company, have a wonderful day and we hope to see you again." The food service worker who handed him the food had a big smile… _That's the weirdest smile I've ever seen. These Tennessee people are definitely strange._

Aaron walks out with food in hand and noticed the people around him were staring at him, hovering away. _Ok, what is going on here, why do these people keep staring at me?_ "Take a picture, people; it'll last longer, geez."

He made it to the hotel and went up to the room, finding Nick passed out cold, snoring. Aaron turned on the television, looking for something to entertain him while consuming a mouth watering entrée. He ended up finding some cartoons, Bugs Bunny of all characters. _If only Scooby-Doo was on. I can't wait to get out of this weird town. Hopefully, Dria will be convinced of our idea rather quickly so we can get home._

**_*Ding-ding*_**_ "__This is your Captain speaking. I have turned on the seat belt sign, so if you please, remain in your seats as we descend into Houston."_

The flight attendants finished up taking the trash of all the passengers, checked the luggage cabin down the aisle, then took their seats in the designated areas in the front and back of the plane. _Now the fun part, waiting to get off the plane and rush over to my other flight. I really, really hope the gates aren't too far apart. This is one of the worst airports to be running around in. _Dria stared out the window, she could see the sun loosing light from setting over the horizon. _God, you do make the most beautiful art. Science will never understand true beauty._

***Ka-thump* *Sound of rubber tires hitting asphalt* *Wooooooosh*** The airplane was slowing down as it landed on the asphalt air strip. Dria could see the flaps of the wing pointing downward and the spoilers of the wing pointing upward. _I've strangely always found that interesting, when the parts of the wing move to help the aerodynamics of slowing down a plane that was previously going a few hundred miles per hour. Good God, I'm such an aeromechanics' daughter._ The plane had stopped at the terminal and people had begun to get off. _Good thing I my seat was towards the front. Well, here we go._ Dria grabbed her carryon suitcase and backpack, and then followed the few passengers in front of her off the plane through the ramp connection. _Ok, I'm at gate A35 and I need to get… hmm, A40. Well, that's not too bad._ Dria followed the signs to where her gate would be. _Ah, here it is… wasn't far at all._

"Flight 276 from Houston to Las Vegas is now boarding." Dria went with the line to scan her ticket and board the plane. The second she sat down in her 12A seat, a flight attendant came up to her with a huge and friendly smile, "Excuse me Ma'am, are you Ms. Alexandria Kovach, seat 12A?"

Dria looked at the flight attendant with a deer in the headlights look, "Yes."

"You have won a first class seat for no extra charge! So, if you would please follow me, I will show you to your seat for this flight."

"Ok… thanks, I guess," Dria responded with hesitancy while grabbing her suitcase that she had just put away in the overhead storage.

Dria followed the flight attendant to the first class section of the plane, and was directed to the first row on the pilot's side of the plane. "The window seat is yours Madam." Dria just shrugged and put her suitcase in the overhead compartment; then slid into the seat with her back pack tucked in the small compartment in front of her. _Wow,_ she thought to herself, _this is a first. Now I can actually dose off comfortably… I just hope that the person sitting next to me isn't 'yabby.' I can't stand it when people decide, 'Hey, maybe this random person would love to hear me blab the whole time we're flying.' Right. Well, maybe I should just put in my headphones and stare out the window, people usually don't bug someone who has headphones in. Oooh, __Anthem of the Angels__ by Breaking Benjamin… awesome song to does off to. _Dria sits back in her seat, closes her eyes and lets the music take her over, drawing her back to that eventful memory…

"Alright Dr. Brent," Dria said as she got off the elevator to the coroner's office, aka, the basement of the police station. "What do you have for us on Kristen's autopsy?"

"Well, her hyoid bone was broken, indicating that she was strangled."

"Just what we thought," inputted Reichs.

"Nothing else seemed out of the ordinary, excluding scar tissue in the genitalia, like the others; so there was no sexual assault, it was consensual with whomever. The one thing that did stick out, however, was the mark on her C7 Cervical vertebrae. It was very distinct, like someone purposely stuck a knife or other sharp object in the neck and tried to saw the bone."

Dria and Reichs looked to each other. "That's the signature," they said together.

"There's a healed scar on her skin, very small, can only see with a microscope. The healing looks as though it was done at least a few weeks before she was killed. The procedure was done very carefully, like he has medical background or knows someone who does, considering the other victims weren't as 'neatly' cut as this one.

"Thanks Dr. Brent," said Dria as they got back into the elevator.

"So this guy made his 'mark' on Kristen, just like the other victims," stated Reichs.

***Beep beep*** "I just received a text from Sheriff Jones. Apparently, the sketch that Rachel made from Kasey's description was a big hit in the town. They have someone in custody upstairs. We need to get Kasey back to give a positive ID on this guy."

"Alright, I'll go pick her up." Reichs got off on the first floor, leaving the station to pick up Kasey.

***Ding*** Dria had just arrived to the 5th level of the building, where the police force had their interrogation rooms. All she could hear was yelling from a man that was being held by two officers: "I am not a serial killer!" _Wow… that voice sounds really familiar… _Dria thought to herself. "My name is…" W_ait… can't be…_ "Aaron Goodwin!" _Fudge noodles! What the H-E-Double Hockey Sticks is he doing here!? Zak better not be here. If he is, there will be some heads spinning so fast, it'll make owls coo-coo-crazy._

"What is going on here!? Why do you have Mr. Goodwin in custody!?" Dria was already furious that he was even there to begin with… but for him to be arrested was a crime in itself. _Aaron would only hurt a fly, nothing more or less. What is wrong with these people!? Were they born yesterday or something?_

"He matches the surviving victim's description of our perpetrator," a short, medium build, blonde officer said while holding up the sketch that Rachel the sketch artist put together.

"A witness's sketch of a person isn't always the best to go off of for finding someone. They do help, but only in giving an idea of what a person may look like. For all we know, the suspect could have shaven his beard so he wouldn't be recognized. Rachel, did you scan the sketch into the system?" Rachel nods. "Can you make a copy of this without the beard?" Rachel nods a second time, typing into the computer to make the changes, and prints out the copy requested. "Bingo," smiled Dria.

"Can you please, let me go? I haven't done anything wrong!" pleaded Aaron in the interrogation room. "If you don't believe me than could you grab Dria Kovach, or Alexandria Kovach, or Dr. Kovach… however you know her by, please?"

The officer just looked at him as though he was some crazy nut job, but shrugged and walked out of the room… it didn't hurt if he asked Dr. Kovach if she knew this crazy lunatic. Within seconds, Dria was right there ready to walk in the room, when the officer had a surprised look on his face.

"I've got this," commented Dria. The officer just rolled his eyes and walked down the hall to the main patrol room. Dria couldn't help but laugh at little, before walking into the interrogation room.

Aaron had his head in his hands on the table, looking like he was about to have a heart attack from all of the stress. Dria sat down in the seat across from him, gently placing the case file in the center of the table, so she would not frighten him. After hearing the paper hit the table, Aaron slowly looked up from his hands, "Oh! Thank God you're here Dria! I was beginning to lose my mind! Please tell them I had nothing to do with… I can't believe I'm saying… killing people!" Dria just looked at him with a slight smirk. "What!? Come on Dria! You know me by now, I mean we've been talking for months! Do you really think I'm capable of doing this!? Besides, you know my alibi… being a part of a famous television show that lets me travel the world all the time."

"Aaron, Aaron…" Dria started, while keeping herself from laughing. "What are you doing here? You should be in Vegas… with… ugh, Mr. Pretty Boy. Oh God… please don't tell me he's here too?" Dria had a small look of worry on her face.

"No, don't worry. It's just me and Nick."

Dria sighed in relief. "Ok, Aaron, start from the beginning."

"Not until you get me out of here, please."

"Ok… fine. Just so you can see… here," Dria opened the case file and pulled out some photos, "is the sketch our one witness was able to give our sketch artist."

Aaron looked at the sketch, "Wow… now it all makes sense. Apparently, I have an evil twin running around."

Dria couldn't help but laugh at that. "Exactly why I had them make a sketch without the beard," she pulled out the second sketch that Rachel printed out.

Aaron looked relieved, "Thank God. Does this mean I can finally get out of here?"

Dria giggled, "Yes, Aaron, you are free to go."

"Wonderful! Is there a Starbucks around here? I need a good cup of joe."

"Actually, there's a place that's better than Starbucks. How about I treat you in return to this huge misunderstanding? Plus, we can discuss why you're here."

"Sounds good to me."

"Ok, I'll meet you in the lobby. I need to finish up here, hopefully there won't be much more I need to do to close this case."

"I'll send the cavalry if you're longer than 15 minutes," joked Aaron. "The cavalry meaning Nick… if he has actually woken up yet."

They both laugh, then get up to leave the interrogation room. As soon as they walked out into the patrol room, it became a crazy animal zoo. Dria walked Aaron to the elevator to get down to the lobby, then turned back to the chaos to see if she can calm it down. She sees Reichs with Kasey over by the viewing room.

"What's going on, Reichs?" Dria asked as she walked up to them. "Why is everyone going crazy?"

Reichs just sighed with a tired expression, "We've got our suspect."

"Well, that's wonderful isn't it?"

"Yes… except, there were at least five men in our town who match the description in the sketch."

"Oh, I see. Well, then, Kasey, are you strong enough to look at the line up?"

Kasey had a drained face, "Yes. I can most certainly point him out. If you are not convinced of my testimony of sight alone, then you should know… he has a giant mole…"

"Ok. Where would this giant mole be?" asked Reichs.

"On… on… th-the top of… his… his…" Kasey was nervous and stuttering.

"Yes, Kasey," Dria pushed, "spit it out, you can do it."

"ON THE TOP OF HIS BUTT CRACK!" Kasey burst out, so the whole station became silent. Then, within seconds, silence turned into bursts of laughter.

"Oh grow up you crazy fools!" Dria yelled at them. "Can't you see this woman has been through enough already!? Now, why don't you all just bugger off!?"

The officers standing about the room then did as Dria asked, and went back to doing their duties: some leaving the vicinity and others were staying behind to complete paperwork.

"That's better. Now," Dria said as she turns back to Reichs and Kasey, "Reichs, you think you can handle the remaining of this case without me? I'm afraid some business with the GAC has come up." Reichs raised her eyebrow. "No, don't worry, he isn't here, sorry to disappoint. However, his team is, so I must find out why they're invading my job."

Reichs laughed, "Yes, I can take it from here." Kasey was already looking at the line up and was able make a hand signal of the number three, then started shaking again.

Dria took in a deep breath and exhaled as she walked away from her partner with a smile. _Now to figure why in God's good name are Aaron and Nick here in Knoxville._ Dria found Aaron in the lobby and led him outside to a privately owned coffee shop that happened to be across the street from the police station. Dria and Aaron got their coffee and sat at a few cushion chairs that were towards the back of the café, away from the crowds, so they would be able to hear each other.

"Alright, Aaron… spill," Dria was getting impatient.

"So… basically, since you left us, we've been trying to get back to normal. Scheduling trips to more known haunted places, going to the haunted places, trying to get evidence, just like we always do. There was just something out of place… we weren't able to get even close as good as evidence as the time you investigated with us. So, it occurred to us, we had to try to get you to investigate with us again, if not permanently."

Dria rolled her eyes, "So, when you say 'we,' you mean all of you? Including the one who can't stand women whom have a mind of their own?"

"Yes, all of us, including Zak. I know you probably won't believe this, but Zak was actually the one who came up with the brilliant plan."

"Oh boy, this I've got to hear." Dria sat back with her arms crossed in the cushioned chair to fully relax. She had a nervous smile, thinking, _Why would pretty boy do such a thing?_

Aaron took a deep breath, "I know you two didn't say goodbye on good terms, but… he does feel bad for being a jerk. So, with that said, he knew the best way to convince you of our idea where if Nick and I came instead, since you got along with us the best."

"Technically, I got along the best with you, Aaron. Nick was just… there… same as Billy… which by the way, I'm sorry Jay didn't join you guys on that investigation, that would have been cool to meet him too."

"Don't worry about it, he had family stuff to take care of. Anyways, I think you connect better with me because I understand your religious side of things. The guys, Zak especially, are really open to anything… why they're not afraid of demonic entities."

"Which makes them, stupid, in my opinion… most of all Zak… he doesn't have the slightest idea what he's messing with. You guys have been playing with fire, hello!" Aaron could tell Dria was already frustrated. Shaking her head, she sighed, "Moving on, what's your point?"

"My point being, you would actually be protecting us, saving us, in a way, because you know what truly is evil and what is good. I love this job, but I'm tired of being dragged into the places where there's crazy demonic activity. I mean, my marriage got ruined because all we would do is taunt the spirits in places to 'do something' and it would end up being an evil entity, attaching itself to us, coming home with us. Aren't you all about helping people?"

"Well, yeah, I love helping people, but working with dead people and live families is completely different than working with the supernatural. I use science and common sense to solve these cases to bring closure to the families left behind."

"You said your expertise is working with bodies that have become a skeleton, correct?" Dria nods her head. "Well, wouldn't you be better off working in a desert? Where the heat and dry air help the, uh, tissue or whatever dissolve better?"

"Aaron, you surprise me. I never thought you'd be a brainiac at heart. Yes, you're correct, the desert would be better. However, I have a few concerns: I love my job here, so why would I want to start somewhere new? Having a daughter, I don't want to drag her with me, making her leave her school, her friends. I was a military brat, but wasn't dragged all over the place like most and I want to keep it that way for her. She's been through a lot in her life and this year, she's finally making friends and opening up to people. I just want to keep her safe from the life she used to have."

"She's adopted? I always thought with the way you talked about her so much, she'd be your own flesh and blood."

"I treat her as if she were my own flesh and blood… & there's a long story to the whole adoption thing, which maybe someday I'll share with you… but for now… I just want what's best for her, you know?"

"Nick has a daughter too, you know."

"Yeah, I know, but doesn't he live in Maine or something?"

"Yeah, New England basically, but he does come to visit sometimes…" Dria just stared at him, _You're not convincing me Aaron._ "Ok, ok, I get it, sorry, bad example. The point I was trying to make was that we would do our best to help the both of you feel welcome. You know, try to make Las Vegas your home. Also, we would ask you to move after the school year finishes, for your daughter's sake, so it would be easier to move during the summer. Please, Dria, please? It would be so much better if you were around." Aaron gave a puppy dog look.

"Fine, I'll talk to Kiora… but… even if she's ok with it, I'd still need to make sure I have a position over there. I mean, it's highly doubtful that the Police Captain over there will be ok with a new hire taking time off every other week."

"Well, we are famous… we can put in a few words around the law enforcement." Aaron winked, hoping that she was coming around to the idea.

"Don't bother. I'll see if my pull can help. Then… there's getting a place to live and moving everything there… it's just a hassle… I don't know if I want to do it."

"Well… the best thing to do about it is… you can probably guess… pray."

_Ok, Aaron… you've got me there. Fine… Lord, what do you think of this?_

"Fine, I'll let you know within the next few days. In the meantime, I guess I could show you around. I could even show you guys the Body Farm at the school I work at."

"Dude! That would be awesome! Let me get a hold of Nick… he's been sleeping since we got here… ***Monster from Muppets singing on Aaron's phone* **"… well, speak of the devil. Not literally of course… but… anyway you get what I mean." Aaron answered his phone and walked away, talking to Nick.

Out of the bliue, Dria was suddenly smelling a men's cologne, that was incredibly strong, taking over her senses. _Wait… I don't remember smelling this when Aaron and Nick came to Knoxville… why does it smell like Calvin Klein? Wait a minute… only one person wears that…_

Dria woke up, still on the plane, noticing that nightfall had engulfed the sky. As Dria tried to sit up in her chair, she noticed some extra weight on her left shoulder. She slowly turned her head to see who decided to fall asleep on her. _Seriously, who would have the nerve to fall asleep on a lonely woman, who is but a stranger!?_

Dria looked at the figure, breathing softly beside her. It was a man, who looked to be her age, if not a few years her junior. His skin was a flushed neutral color and perfectly smooth. The muscles in his legs and arms were simply defined, with robust shoulders. _Though his shoulders are not nearly as robust as Zak's,_ thought Dria, _but he's overall the happy-medium that most women want in a man's physique._ His arms were crossed as though to keep warm from the chill of the high altitude. Dria's eyes shifted from his arms, to his shoulders, then to his face. From the position she was in, she could only see portions of his face. Her eyes then set on the rosy cheeks and thin lips that do nothing but exemplify his masculinity. His mental protuberance proved that his face was long with a nose slightly larger than of average. _I know this face…_ Dria couldn't see his eyes, but she knew they would be milk chocolate brown with a slight hint of chamois.

_Goodness, gracious, great balls of fire you have got to be kidding me! This cannot be… him! Oh good Lord, please don't let him recognize me if it is! _Dria wished and hoped that the man wouldn't wake up. Within seconds, of course, the man began to wake up. It was due to her racing heart rate, gaining speed every second with the nerves in her entire body shaking like a dry leaf during autumn. Dria saw as he was gaining consciousness to his surroundings, he pushed out his arms and legs in front of him to stretch, which then pushed his head more into both the seat and her shoulder.

"Oh!" he exclaimed at the realization of Dria. "I am so sorry! I didn't mean to fall asleep on you!" _Riiiggght, dude… riiiggghht, _Dria rolled her eyes. The man moved to sit upright in his chair and had his face turned to her out of courtesy of conversation. Within a moment of the man and Dria locking eyes, he had marvel look on his face. "Dria? Alexandria Kovach!?" The man was beginning to get excited, bouncing in his seat_ Shit… it is him. I knew it from the second I smelled that cologne. Great… and by the look on his face, he's recognized me. Fan-freaking-tastic!_ Dria just gave a fake smile to confirm that he knew her. "Oh my goodness!" he blurted out while pulling her to him for a hug. "It has been way too long! Since our graduation from SDSU, right!?" He then leaned back into his seat, exposing his pearly whites with a smile curved from ear to ear. _Great, just great… that smile still gives me butterflies… ugh!_

"Hi Byron," Dria nervously laughed. "I didn't expect to see you here… on a plane… from Houston to Vegas." _I actually didn't expect to see you ever again after college… God, you sure do have an acute sense of humor._

"I know, right!? What are the odds!? Well… how have you been? I would have thought you were to still be in San Diego."

"No, I moved to Tennessee for grad school and ended up getting a job there. What about you? I thought you were going to stay in San Diego too."

"I actually was visiting my family in Houston, I only get to see them certain times of the year. However, I no longer live in San Diego as well. I now live in Vegas, got a better job offer than the Blood Bank. So, you're visiting Vegas or passing through… maybe party with friends or something?"

"Ha!" Dria laughed. She didn't want to tell him her business that she was actually moving to Vegas herself, but she figured with it being a big city, she'd had as much chance of running into him as she did in her home town. "Umm… I am actually in the process of moving there for a better job, too. I wanted to fly from Tennessee to make sure the house is ready for when the movers come within the next day or two."

"No way! Really!? That's awesome!" Dria gave another fake smile. "So… it's just you? You don't have any family of your own or husband or something?" Byron got quiet then, he knew he was asking too personal of questions, but he really wanted to know.

**_*Ding-ding* _**_"__Ladies and Gentlemen, the Captain has turned on the seat belt sign. Please stay in your seats and fasten your seat belts as we descend into Las Vegas. Thank you for choosing United Airlines and we hope you have safe travels."_

Dria was silent, _Why should I tell you anything, Byron? You have no right to ask me such questions, especially something as personal as that._ "That is none of your business," she sneered. "I don't mean to be rude, but you really have no right to ask. We haven't seen each other in what, eight years? I'm not in the mood to be all buddy-buddy, alright?" Dria could not wait until she got off the plane, get away from this man.

Byron leaned back in his chair as the plane landed on the ground. "Dria, I am sorry. You are right; I shouldn't have asked such personal questions. I hoped that by now, you would have forgiven me for the past."

Dria stayed silent, staring at her feet, until the plane reached the gate. "I forgave you long ago, Byron," she said as she got up to retrieve her things. "I just don't think I could ever trust you again." Standing practically directly in front of him, Dria looked at him in the eye as she said those piercing words. She could see in those chocolate eyes the hurt in honesty, but she didn't regret what she said.

"I can understand that. I hope that while we are in the same city, once again, I can gain your trust back." Byron stepped aside into the aisle so she may pass to get off the plane. _I definitely have missed those sky blue eyes, _he thought to himself as they stared at each other when Dria moved out of the seats, to the cockpit of the plane

The hatch of the plane had opened and the remote controlled bridge connected the plane to the platform. When the flight attendants gave the okay for people to start getting off the plane, Dria, being the first in line, gave one last look to Bryon as to apologize, then quickly walked the bridge to the platform, then to the gate. Byron was supposed to have been directly behind her, but he purposely took his time grabbing his things so that there were about a half a dozen of people between them. _I wish I could have talked to her longer, convince her that I have changed,_ he continued thinking as he got off the plane. B_ut for now, she just needs space and time. I just hope I see her again soon. For so long have I hoped we would cross paths again… and now… it's like I have a second chance._

Dria looked back only once as soon as she reached the gate, to see if Byron was following her. She was both relieved and disappointed that he didn't come after her. _I didn't think it was possible to bruise his ego, oh well, another encounter come and gone. I do wonder why our paths cross one more time… especially now… why now? Ugh! I'm about to start a new chapter in my life, and he shows up? I bet You think it's real funny, Lord? Well, ha-ha-ha!_ Since Dria didn't have check-in baggage, she was one of the few people who walked through the entire airport just to get to the main exit that leads out into the departure pickups.

_Of course, my plane had to land on the other side of the airport. Well, I'm here. I'm glad Aaron was nice enough to come pick me up. I mean, I could have just taken a taxi to my new place. Well… I guess a good way to look at it is that he's just trying to be a good friend, make me feel welcome here. He's still trying to convince me to give Zak another chance, just to be friends. The more I thought about it, the more I realized that he was right. I could use more friends anyway, moving to a new place, not really knowing anyone yet. I did try talking to him, since Aaron and Nick came to Tennessee, you know? Through the usual ways of communication: Facebook, Twitter, texting… the usual. I did try, Lord, You know that. We just always seem to end up arguing, and it's really annoying. Anyway back to reality… ok, where is Aaron? He said he'd be waiting by the parking lot. I guess I'll have to call…_

Dria was thinking of calling Aaron, but her thought and action of pulling out her phone was ceased because there was someone waiting for her. This someone was roughly about six foot, had spiked black hair with hints of silver from the moonlight mixed with the street lights. He was dressed in all black, as usual, with arms crossed, leaning against a black 2014 Dodge Challenger with red racing stripes.

"Oh, you've got to be shitting me," Dria said out loud.

"Nice to see you too, Princess," the man said with a grin.

Dria just stood where she was on the sidewalk, staring at the broad man from about a twenty-four foot distance. "What the hell are you doing here, Bagans? I wasn't supposed to see you for another few days for the lockdown."

"I'm sorry to disappoint," Zak said while spreading his arms open, then putting them back down as though he meant to shrug. "However, Aaron sends his regards… he had a family emergency." There then came a scratching noise from inside the car: **_*Ruf-Ruf*_**

Dria watched as Zak moved from the hood to the passenger door opening it. A white collie-looking dog with a black patch over the left eye jumped out. Dria gasped because she knew exactly who this creature was. Dria then kneeled on the ground to be eye level with the back of her hand facing the dog, making the animal more in comfort.

"Uhh… what are you doing? Why are you kneeling on the ground?" Zak was puzzled and curious. The dog then slowly started walking towards Dria, with her ears slanted back and head partly down. _I hope she doesn't get freaked out like the last time,_ Zak thought.

"Awe, Gracie! Come here girl, I won't hurt you," Dria said with a sparkling smile, making the dog perk up with excitement. Gracie smelled her hand, then ran Dria over licking her, making Dria lose her balance and ended up lying on the ground. Laughing and playfully screaming, Dria softly pushed the dog off of her so she could sit up. "You are such a good girl! Yes, you are, you beautiful, beautiful girl!" Gracie was wagging her tail with as much enthusiasm as she could for her size.

Zak walked over and let out a hand to Dria, "I'm sorry about that. I rarely see her do that to people."

Dria took his hand to stand up, covered in white hair, "Thank you and no worries, I love it when dogs trample over me with affection like that." She laughed a little while Zak just smiled. "Also, to answer your questions, I get down on my knees like that because I know dogs are easily timid when meeting a new person. Getting down to their level makes the new meeting less stressful for them… most of the time..." _Wow… I can really see his eyes in the moonlight. They're more of a rain-cloud gray-blue then hazel… hazel is so overrated anyway._

"Hmm…" he hummed. They started at each other for half a minute, until Gracie started licking Zak's hand to let him know she wanted to go home. "Well, shall we go then?" Zak took her bags and put them in the trunk. Then he walked over the passenger door to not only let Gracie back in the car, but for Dria, trying to be a gentleman.

Dria was surprised at this: _I never thought in a million years that he would be a gentleman like this to me, after all the arguing we did._ "Thank you," she could barely voice. They both got into the car and began driving to their destination.

"Aaron gave me your address, I hope that's ok."

"No, that's fine." Zak had some music on in the car, but it was too soft for Dria to hear to decipher what kind of music it was. She loved music; however, she wasn't much interested at the moment because she was tired. With it already being nearly midnight, Dria dozed off.

Zak saw how tired she was and figured that she'd be going home to an empty house, with no furniture most likely. _I must be out of my mind_, Zak thought to himself. He then turned down a different street to take her home to his house, instead. _Hopefully, my 'roommates' won't bother her while she sleeps. Even if they don't, I know that she will freak out anyway, because she was brought to my home instead of hers._

Zak pulled up to his driveway and into his garage. "Dria?" he asked. "Dria, are you awake?" In response, Dria only snuggled more against the seat, making Zak smile. He then got out of the car to the passenger side, opening the door gently so Dria wouldn't fall out. Being as quiet as a grown man could be, with the dog breathing heavy and hitting her tail against the car, Zak facilely took Dria out of the seat and into his arms. With ease, he carried her legs from the knees with his right arm and the rest of her body with his left, lifting from her lower back. Her facial expression changed from contentment to discomfort when her head left the soft and cushioned headrest. Like magnetism, the gravity pulled her head to rest on Zak's chest, somehow making her content in comfort once more. She then nuzzled her face more into his shirt as though it were a pillow and pulled her arms tightly close to her chest, with her left hand on his right clavicle. _I wonder if she'll ever believe me that I actually made her smile… well, she was unconscious when she did it, but still, it proves that she doesn't hate me… that much._

Zak thought it best to put her in his room, considering it was the only room of the house with a comfy bed and it was recently blessed to keep the spirits away. With being a gentleman, he'd take the couch. He carried her from the garage to his room, making sure to be careful on not hitting her feet on anything, especially the corners of the walls. When he reached the bed, he tenderly put her down, taking her tennis shoes off, and pulling the blankets over her.

"Sweet dreams, Dria," Zak said as he pushed away the bangs over her face. _Wow, she is actually… beautiful… shit, what am I saying!? I still barely know this woman; she's not really my type either. Oh well, she seems like a good friend; and God only knows how much I need more of them… I definitely have been around the guys too long._ Taking a deep breath, Zak then walked away from the bed to the door, he then turned around for one last look, "Gracie, are you coming?" The dog just looked up at him as to say, 'Nope, I'm staying right here.' "Ok, fine, be that way. You're lucky you're adorable." Zak then left the room, closing the door behind him. He went downstairs to sleep on the couch, letting the night consume him to sleep as well.

Dria woke up from the morning light escaping through the curtains over the window, feeling rejuvenated and refreshed. Stretching like she usually does when she wakes up, Dria felt a warm and soft presence directly next to her on the bed, making her jump and slightly scream in shock.

"What the…" Dria turned around to see who was sleeping beside her. The being next to her was about four feet in length, roughly sixty pounds, had four legs, and completely covered in fluffy white hair, with a few black spots. "Gracie?" The creature beside her wagged her tail hard against Dria's legs while licking her face. "Ok, ok, down girl, down. What are you doing here?" Dria looked around the room, realizing she wasn't where she should be; and still in the same clothes she wore the day before. "Wait… what am I doing here?"

_"__**Why don't you ask your oh-so-kind host?"**_ a deep whispery voice broke the silence in the room, making Gracie leave the room in fright.

Dria gave a bored look at the blue glowing entity that was floating in front of the bed. "What on this crazy earth are you doing here, Tommy?"

**_"_****_Just because I'm dead doesn't mean I won't stop looking after you."_**

"Even though technically I never really knew you while you were alive… you just wouldn't leave me alone when you found out I could actually see you."

**_"_****_It's definitely more fun following someone who can actually talk back to you. I love the family I left behind, but seriously, you can only endure being ignored and unseen so much when you're dead."_**

"Blah-blah-blah, you'd like some cheese with that whine? Let me ask again, what are you doing here? I'm not in trouble, so I don't really need your help."

Tommy just rolled his eyes at her blunt comment.**_ "Actually, Dria, that's why I'm here, to protect you from the not so good entities that are in this house._****"**

"Well, since you seem to know everything, who's house am I in?"

**_"_****_Your biggest fan,"_** laughed Tommy, **_"the infamous Zak Bagans."_**

Dria opened her eyes wide, "Are you serious?"

**_"_****_Duh…"_** Tommy stood with his arms crossed.

"I… am seriously… going to… injure him!" Dria yelled in frustration as she stormed out of the room, leaving her ghostly friend to disappear once more.

She ran down the stairs to find the host, who was nowhere to be seen. She could smell food coming from the kitchen along with the sound of a dog. Storming into the kitchen, Dria was beginning to blow steam through her ears.

"What the hell, Zak!"

"Good morning to you too, Princess," Zak replied as he turned from the pan of food on the stove to her. "Nice hair, by the way."

Dria touches her head, ignoring the nickname he called her (twice now) and sees that the braid came out. "What," she sighs in exasperation, "you expect a woman's hair to be perfect after getting an awesome night's sleep? Crap… no, I'm not saying that what I assume to be your bed is comfortable, well, I guess it is, but that's not what I'm trying to say here… ugh! Why am I waking up in your bed in the first place!? Also, I hear you don't live here alone. So, since you live with these evil things every day, it's ok to put someone else's life at risk!?"

"Dria, would you calm down please?"

"No! I will not calm down! I asked you to take me home! Instead, you take me to your home! I know most of the female variety wouldn't mind that, but seriously!? You'd think I'd be ok with this!? I don't care what the world thinks of you… you're definitely a real jackass!"

"Dria, please… would you just take a chill pill and come and sit down at the counter? There's someone joining us for breakfast I'd like for you to meet."

"I… oh… oh, good Lord, fine." Dria walked to the counter where the bar stools were and saw an older woman with blonde hair. _Oh I see, he dates a woman between the ages of 18 and what, 60?_

"Dria, this is my mom," Zak gave a hand out for the introduction.

"Oh, shit… oh, sorry, I didn't mean to say shit. There I go again… I didn't mean to call your son a jackass… wow, I suck…" Dria gives a nervous laugh, "How about I just start with my name? I'm Alexandria, the nut ball forensic anthropologist."

Zak's mom just laughed, "No worries, my dear lady. You can call me Ellen."

"Let's eat," Zak inputted.

The rest of the morning went by smoothly, with no more arguments between Zak and Dria; at least while his mother was there. They talked about the show, about each other's lives, etc. Dria was quiet for most of the chit-chat; simply just observing the interaction between Zak and his mom. _Wow, he's a complete Ma-ma's boy. It's surprising though… like, it's not the kind of relationship most would think. They're like best friends more than mother and son, but what gets me is that they completely respect each other. I sure wish my mom and brother were like that._

Ellen then left, leaving Dria and Zak by themselves, creating tension in the air once more. Due to earlier frustration, Dria yelled at Zak to take her home, considering she needed to be there when the movers arrived. He obliged to her request, having her arrive at her new house minutes before the movers did. Even though Dria was still aggravated with Zak, she was surprised when he offered his help on moving the heavy and more difficult pieces of furniture or boxes. Zak was stunned that there wasn't a whole lot to move, just a few large pieces of furniture: like her queen size bed, her daughter's twin bed, the handmade coffee table and entertainment center, and a 48" flat screen. Everything else was already a part of the house, like the dresser sets, the living room set, etc. _Wow, _Zak thought, _so she technically could have stayed here without the rest of her stuff being here. Well, first off, I had no idea; secondly, I wanted to show her that I can be a nice guy too. What are friends for, right?_

Dria treated the few movers and Zak to pizza as a friendly payment for helping her move everything into the house. The movers then took off after they finished eating, leaving Dria and Zak in an awkward silence.

"Thanks, again, for your help Zak. I'm guessing this is the favor I get after what you pulled last night? You know… as a way to ask for my forgiveness?" Dria held back a small laugh.

"Did you ever think that I was just trying to be a good friend?"

"Zak… I was kidding… although, why did you take me to your house?"

"Honestly," Zak stated while sticking his hands in his pockets out of nerves, "I saw that you were passed out cold in the car and instead of waking you up, I thought it'd be better for you to just sleep. I also thought that you'd be alone in a new house, with no furniture or a place to comfortably sleep." Zak paused for a few seconds, thinking on how to ask the question in his head. "How did you know that I am, well, not alone, in my house? I mean, everyone who's a fan knows because of the interview I did with the Travel Channel about my house, but I didn't think you were a fan."

"Well… both from the show and from a friend who was in the room with me when I woke up this morning." Zak gave her a confused look, "I guess there's no use in trying to hide this, considering you already know about my 'gift' and my guardian angel…" Zak just continued to stare at her while standing in her garage. Dria sat down on the loveseat with her legs bent to the right side, with her left hand placed on the sofa arm. "I have a friend, who has been dead for a few years. When he took his own life, he didn't know where to go or what to do. We crossed paths because of a mutual friend we had, and from the way I was able to see him and talk to him, he decided to follow me from then on. In a way, he's like my second guardian angel because he helps keep the not-so-good spirits away when he feels like he needs to be my knight in shining armor. So, the whole thing with knowing about there being entities in your house, it was because he told me."

Tommy then appeared in the garage, standing next to Zak. **_"For someone who claims to 'sense' the supernatural, he doesn't seem to feel me doing this… which is kind of fun."_** Dria just watched as Tommy started poking him in the arm and side while also playing with Zak's headphones to his mobile that was in his pocket.

Dria was about to voice her opinion to Tommy when Zak said something that made her stay still, perplexed. "Let me guess, your so-called-friend is messing with me right now, isn't he?" It simply made her speechless, considering no one had ever been able to identify another being so quickly, especially since he wasn't even a medium. "Before you ask, I can tell he's here because of the sudden cold I feel around me, hence the goosebumps… and I was burning up just a second ago. There also is no airflow around me strong enough to lift my headphones like that. I have a sensitive touch, so I was able to feel him poking me; at least, I assume he was poking me. Lastly…" Zak took a deep breath, "you kind of gave it away, Dria, with the annoyed look on your face."

Tommy scoffed, **_"Know-it-all."_**

"Ok," Dria finally said after rolling her eyes from Tommy's comment, "I guess this proves that you really do in a way sense… them." Dria just laughed nervously, "Anyways, thanks again for your help. I'll see you later in the week for the meet up on the next investigation."

"I can stay and help you unpack, if you want, that is. I don't have much going on for the day. Maybe Aaron would be able to stop by and help too."

"Zak, you don't have to do that, really. I'm picky on where things go… like I'm sorry to say, I'm kind of an 'unpacking-zilla.' Yes, I just said 'unpacking-zilla'… anyways, I don't want to make you guys think I'm a crazy mad woman."

"It would be no problem, honestly. Plus, I think it would be a good way for us to work as a team, you know? Like Aaron and I could just unpack the boxes, leave the items on the counter or table for you to put away, and then break down the boxes. What do you say?"

Dria thought for a moment, _Well, unpacking will go by faster having the help… I just don't understand something… why is Zak being so kind and helpful? Maybe he did just have something up his butt during that investigation. Well, I do believe in second chances. _"Ok. Call up Aaron to see if he can help. Just to warn you, if anything gets broken, I will help in the process of getting you to the other side, completely… meaning you won't be between worlds. Get it, got it?" Zak nods his head, "Good."

Zak calls Aaron up to see if he would be able to come help Dria out, which of course he obliged. Dria, on the other hand, went back into the house while Zak was on the phone and turned on Pandora on her phone, hooked up to a speaker set. She decided to start in her bedroom at the far side of the house to start unpacking, so she would hopefully be out of earshot; and thinking he'd be on the phone for a while, she sang along to the first song that came on: "Broken Wing" by Martina McBride.

_She loved him like he was_

_The last man on Earth_

_Gave him everything she ever had_

_He'd break her spirit down_

_Then come lovin' up on her_

_Give a little, then take it back_

_She'd tell him about her dreams_

_He'd just shoot 'em down_

_Lord, he loved to make her cry_

_You're crazy for believin'_

_You'll ever leave the ground_

_He said, Only angels know how to fly_

Pretending like she was singing with her mom, she put her soul into the chorus:

_And with a broken wing_

_She still sings_

_She keeps an eye on the sky_

_With a broken wing_

_She carries her dreams_

_Man you ought to see her fly_

_One Sunday morning_

_She didn't go to church_

_He wondered why she didn't leave_

_He went up to the bedroom_

_Found a note by the window_

_With the curtains blowing in the breeze_

_And with a…_

"Jesus, Mary and Joseph!" Dria yelled and grabbed her chest in freight as she turned to face the front of her room, realizing there was someone with a pulse watching her in the doorway. "Do ya have to sneak up on me like that!? I thought you'd be talking to Aaron for a while, so I'm sorry if I killed your ears… but ya know, sometimes you just got to let it out, no matter how bad you sound." Zak just stared at her with a small smile on his face, realizing she had finally changed from her hoodie and jeans to a regular t-shirt and long shorts. "What? Are you going to make fun of my singing now? Oh this will be good. Come on, let's hear it. How bad was I?"

"Dria, ever since we first met, you cease to amaze me. You have a wonderful voice, so don't let anyone tell you different."

"Oh… well thanks, I guess. I didn't think I was that terrible, I just know some people like my voice and some people don't. I just felt the urge to sing, so while I thought I had a few minutes to myself, I let it go, figuratively speaking."

"No worries. Aaron said he'd be right over." Zak walked up next to Dria to see the box she was unpacking. He noticed a few pictures: some of her and a guy, some of an older woman, and some of her and an older man. He tried taking a closer look to the picture of her and a random guy. "Who's this lucky fellow?" he asked with a tease.

Dria quickly grabbed the picture from his hands and stuffed it back into the box. "That is none of your business. Now, if you want to help, we can start in the kitchen, capeesh?" Dria started walking past him when he lightly grabbed her left arm, _What is up with this grabbing my arm thing? Do you not understand 'no touchie?'_

"Dria, you need to be more trusting of people. We're a team now, so why are you holding back?"

Dria looked up at the same blue eyes she saw just the night before. "Zak, for your information, I am just fine with trusting people. Just because we're a team and I let you into my home… well my new home that's not even ready to live in yet… doesn't mean I trust you. You may not have a problem with trusting people you just met, but for me, you have to earn your trust, it's never just simply given."

Zak just simply gazed back at her brighter blue eyes with a soft grip on her arm. _I wonder why she carries so much anger and hurt. One would think being a religious person like she claims to be, she would have let it go… given it to God or whatever higher source she believes in. _

"Zak," Dria spoke with a soft voice while looking away from his gaze, "could you please let my arm go?" He did as she asked, but instead of completely letting her go, he brought the same right hand up to her chin so her eyes met his once again. _Shit… please don't kiss me…_

Zak leaned forward, moving his hand to her neck so that their foreheads touched. His left hand came to rest on her right shoulder, "You're not alone, Dria. You now have people in your life who want to be there for you… and help you learn to trust in humanity again. I know you barely know us, but we're here for you… including Gracie."

Dria took a deep breath of defeat while chuckling at the Gracie comment, "I shall try to learn then… thanks." She gave a slight smile while Zak stepped a few inches back to look at her, making them both cave to the gravity pull of a moment. Until…

"Hey guys!" came a muffled voice from the garage area, making Dria and Zak snap back into reality. "Where are you? I thought you needed help unpacking?"

Dria moved away from Zak, walking out of the room to the main hallway that leads to the door to the garage. "Hey Aaron!" she gave him a hug as soon as she reached the open doorway where he stood. "Thanks for coming! We've got a lot to do!"

"Well, good thing I brought food!" Aaron held up a bag of Chinese food just as Zak came down the stairs as well.

"Sweet! Well, let's get started!" Dria led the guys into the kitchen to begin unpacking, making sure that they only unpack the boxes and not put anything away. During the rest of the day, the guys and Dria talked and laughed while getting each and every box open. Aaron was his usual goofball self, making the atmosphere relaxed, and surprisingly Dria felt more at home. There was a strange tension between Dria and Zak for the entire evening and somehow, even Aaron knew it. With all the boxes unpacked, all Dria had left to do was finishing putting the dishes, clothes and food away. It was then time for the day to end. "Thanks a lot for your help today, you guys! Seriously, I owe you both a dinner… or something," she laughed.

Walking to the door to say good bye, Aaron gave her a hug, "Well, we brought you out here, so it's the least we could do. Technically, Nick and I brought you out here, and Zak just needed to try to be his charming self so you guys would try not to argue for future investigations. Seriously, it's not fun being in the middle… I felt like an Aaron sandwich." They all laugh at Aaron's comment. "I'll see you tomorrow, Bro."

"Later, Aaron," Zak replied as Aaron walked out the driveway to his car, and then turned back to Dria at the door. "Listen, I'm sorry if I made you feel at all uncomfortable or irritated today."

"No worries, Zak, thanks again for the help. Have a good night."

"You too," Zak smiled a good bye with his hands in his pockets, and then walked out towards his car as well, leaving Dria by herself.

_Yay… _she thought to herself_, now I finally get to sleep in my own bed. Oh yeah… can't forget I have the official hiring interview tomorrow… ugh._ She closed and locked her front door, turning around to head down the hallway for bed, she saw her ghostly friend staring at her.

**_"_****_Wow…" _**Tommy was floating a few feet away with his arms crossed.

"What?" Dria asked in annoyance.

**_"_****_You like him, don't you? Don't bother denying it, I've been in your life long enough to see how you are with men you like or don't like."_**

"I admit I'm beginning to like him as a friend, but that's it. I'm done with romance, remember? My heart can't handle any more suffering."

**_"_****_Whatever you say… but just so you know it does go both ways."_**

"Oh please! If there's anything, it's lust and attraction… there's nothing 'deep' in whatever is being felt here." Dria moved her arms around as to indicate the invisible force of emotion. "Gah! Why do you feel the need to meddle in my love life anyway?"

**_"_****_Because I can… you could exercise me, but I know you're too kind for that."_**

"Tommy… you're an ass. Now go haunt someone else while I sleep, please."

**_"_****_Fine… I'll just pop in and say hi to Kiora… she at least likes having me around."_** Tommy vanished, with a huge grin across his face.

_Butthead. He's lucky I let him stick around._ Dria walked through the kitchen, down the hallway into her room, taking just a few steps and flew herself onto the bed. Trying to push two certain people out of her head, she passed out as soon as she laid her head down on the pillow.

"Hi, I'm Alexandria Kovach, here for my hire interview," Dria said as she stood in front of the reception desk in her pant suit with her hair up in a neat bun.

The receptionist looked up from her paperwork, "Ah, yes! We've been expecting you! Come with me and I'll take you to the Captain." The receptionist got up and walked to the elevator about twenty feet away, motioning for Dria to follow her. Dria followed her onto the elevator, where she pushed the number three button using a security key. Dria was shaking like a leaf with nerves. "Don't be nervous, hun. It'll be a piece of cake." _Easy for you to say,_ Dria thought. _I've worked my ass off to get to the position I had, so I highly doubt this will be as easy as pie… or cake… or whatever. _The elevator doors opened to a floor full of cops walking every which way. The receptionist motioned Dria out, "The Captain will be with you shortly. Good luck!" Then the doors closed with Dria standing in a sea of people. _Oh God, why am I doing this again?_

"Ms. Alexandria, I presume," a low voice came from a large office on the left. To confirm who she was, her legs carried her to where she assumed was the Captain. When she walked through the door, she found an older lean man with gray hair and beard. _He reminds me a lot of my grandpa._ "Please, sit down." He motioned to the guest seat in front of the desk, she quietly took the seat, looking at the name plaque on the desk: Captain James Woolley. "Now, I know we've done most of the interviews over the phone, but I wanted to see what you were like in person. A first impression of attitude means everything to us, considering we are the major party city of the west. Plus, with all of your recommendations, I knew this was too good to be true to have someone with your skills to work with us. Sure, we've had a few forensic anthropologists here and there, but they never seemed to really fit our lifestyle. Anyways, just like I ask everyone here at least once: why do you really want to work with our forensic techs, become our anthropology expert? I just want to see where you come from."

Dria was still shaking like a leaf, _God, give me courage & wisdom. _After taking a deep breath, she began telling her story in a nutshell: starting from when she was a child. "Since I was about eight-years-old, I have been fascinated by Egyptian mummies. When kids would get their parents to buy the most popular books of our class, I'd get mine to buy me anything and everything mummy related. As a child, it was only a small interest, making me different from the other kids in my school; but as I got older, I grew more to realize that this would be my calling, my future. I thought, at the time that meant becoming an Egyptologist; however, it wasn't until I started college that I realized the subject of Anthropology would be my destiny. I was interested in forensics at the time as well, so I received my AS in Forensic Technology from a community college, then went on to receive my BA in Anthropology from San Diego State and my MA/PhD in Osteology (under the Anthro major) from the University of Knoxville. Now, I'm in a place where my skills can really be put to the test, with the desert being one of the more common ways of drying human remains. All I want is to be able to bring families closure to losing a loved one, making sure that the remains do indeed belong to their loved one and finding out more on how and why they died. I can name any bone within the entire body with just a fragment in front of me… how many people can do that?"

As a response to her open-ended question, the Captain smiled, stood up from his chair, and reached out his hand, "Welcome aboard, Ms. Kovach." Dria stood up from the guest seat and shook his hand, speechless. "Detective Gonzalez?" he called out to the rest of the floor.

A middle-aged woman with ivory skin and short black hair poked her head in, "Yes, sir?"

"Could you show Dr. Kovach around our department? She will be our new forensic anthropologist so it would be good for her to see what/where everything is. Make sure you have her meet the scientists in the lab, considering she'll be working closely with them a lot on cases."

"Yes, sir. Dr. Kovach," the detective looked to Dria, "could you follow me please?"

Dria looked to the captain, "Thank you, sir. I look forward to working with you." She followed the detective after smiling at the captain in excitement. _I got the job! I got the job! I got the job! Eeeeeek! I'm totally going to celebrate… somehow… I really need a dog or something… that would make Kiora happy. _

"Dr. Kovch…"

"Oh, sorry… I tend to get lost in thought after something exciting happens."

"No worries, I'm the same way," the detective laughed. "I'm Detective Renee Gonzalez," she said as she shook Dria's hand.

"Nice to meet you," Dria responded as they went back on to the elevator. "I'm Alexandria Kovach, but you can call me Dria."

"Hmm… Dria… that's different." Renee pushed the button to the basement, "I'm going to introduce you to the forensic pathologist, Dr. Carrie Brown. I would have introduced you to the whole department upstairs, but you'll learn their names better as you work on cases… you'll be working the most with Dr. Brown and the lab rats… or sorry, scientists. By the way," the elevator dinged with the doors opening to the basement floor, "she's not really a social person, but I hope that if there's one person she'd get along with, it's you." They walked to the autopsy room, finding a tall blonde with an hourglass figure dressed in blue scrubs with protective gear while removing a liver from the dead man that was on the table. "Ah, Dr. Brown. May I introduce Dr. Kovach?"

Carrie just gave an annoyed look to Dria, then went back to finish weighing the organ she had in the scale. "Do you have to come bother me when I'm swamped with dead people? Renee, you know I hate being interrupted."

Dria spoke up before Renee could respond, "I completely understand how you feel. I could never get any work done with people intruding all the time. But hey, people seem to think it's no big deal when we're working with dead people, right?" Carrie looked up from her clip board after that comment. "I'm a forensic anthropologist; I have been working with dead people for most of my life." _Technically, my entire life, _Dria thought.

"Well, it's nice to know there'll be another anatomy expert. I guess I'll be seeing you." Carrie went back to writing on her clipboard.

"Thanks Dr. Brown," Renee lead Dria back to the elevator. "That's basically all you're going to get. She prefers being around people who no longer can talk back."

"I know the feeling," Dria smirked as they got back into the elevator.

"Alrighty, next we go to the lab," the detective sighed as she pushed the second floor button. "So… the few people you're going to meet here are the lab and fingerprint supervisors. They don't quite get along, if you want to put it into simplest terms. The lab supervisor has only been here for about five years, since he graduated with his Masters in Biology, emphasis in hematology. The fingerprint supervisor has been in our department since he graduated high school. You know, basically started as volunteer, became an intern while attending community college, then became a fingerprint analyst. Within about fifteen years, he became the fingerprint supervisor. You could probably figure out why they don't get along... men and competition, so annoying. Are you single?"

"Uh, technically, yes…" Renee gave her a strange look. "… I'm a widow. I haven't really gotten over it. Please don't…" she said as Renee opened her mouth to speak. "… it's a long story and I don't want to talk about it. Why do you ask on the single thing anyway?"

"Well, I wanted to warn you that Mr. Hemotology is a giant flirt and player… is really good at making a woman feel important. We've all fallen victim to it… including yours truly. However, that was when he first started here years ago, and now I'm a happily married woman. Although, I will not deny, he is fine," Renee laughs as the elevator door opens to the lab.

Dria and Renee got out of the elevator to the floor, with some people just staring at them and the others not caring to pay attention. One side of the floor was obvious as to what it concealed, with black powdery substance all over the floor and tables. _Fingerprint analysis… one of my other most favorite things to do in forensics._ A middle-aged man came up to them from a table full of objects that had been dusted in black powder. He had light blonde hair pulled back into a ponytail, with emerald eyes, pale skin, and a standard physique dressed in a white lab coat with black dress pants.

"Dr. Kovach, I'd like you to meet Mr. Thomas Saia. Thomas, this is Alexandria," the detective introduced the two.

Kovach stuck out her hand, "Call me Dria. It's nice to meet you."

Saia responded with the handshake, "Likewise."

"I'm just showing Ms. Kovach around. She's going to be our new 'bones' person, so don't give her too much grief," Renee said with a smile.

"Wonderful, another crazy person with a degree. It's bad enough working with Mr. Know-It-All Hematology over there," Thomas nodded his head to his right side, pointing to a man in a white coat who had his back turned, working on a project.

"Ah, perfect, the last man for me to introduce you to on this tour."

"I guess that's my cue. I look forward to working with you," Dria commented as she was backing away. Thomas just gives a nod as to acknowledge what she said.

"Dr. Reynolds, I'd like you to meet our new forensic anthropologist," Renee said walking up to the man hidden in a white lab coat and gear.

"Hold on a minute, Detective. I need to perfectly measure this sample, or it will get ruined. We don't want evidence to be contaminated, now do we?" asked Dr. Reynolds with impatience and annoyance. He then was able to finish the task without spilling or contaminating the sample, leaving him to take off his protective gear to kindly meet the forensic anthropologist. As soon as his chocolate eyes met Dria's light blue, he lit up like a fire in the sky.

Dria on the other hand, wasn't very happy. _I apologize ahead of time, Lord but… _"Byron? You… you've got… to be fucking… shitting me."


End file.
